World War I's Impact on the World of Art

    I have decided to look at three pieces of work that were clearly influenced by the tragedy of World War I. These paintings shook me as I was looking for different pieces from the early modern era. It was heart-wrenching to think about what the artist must have been going through as the images were created. I would like to share my thoughts on the following pieces with whoever reads this post.

 

 

The Menin Road

Artist: Paul Nash

Circa: 1919

Location: Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom

Image hosted by: https://en.wikipedia.org/

    The first thing I could see in this picture was the trees. Shattered and destroyed stumps where tall leafy giants would have stood five years before this painting. As I take a step back I start to see further tales of death and destruction on this stretch of land. The bottom left shows the remains of a bombed-out building buried into the earth and an empty helmet floating on top of the water amidst pitted earth from recent shellings. People were running across the battlefield in an attempt to flee to safety or rejoin those that had left them behind. Even the rays of light in the background try to break onto the field only to fall back into the clouds as they touch the ground. I can feel my heart being squeezed as I look at this painting.
     

    This piece is so successful to me because of the brilliant use of color. The absence of a variety of colors emphasizes the desolation and destruction present here. What we can only guess was a beautiful forest before the war is now devoid of most life. The clouds in the background range from blues to grays and add a heaviness to their feel. Finally, the rays of light in the background are light blue instead of a vibrant yellow. These colors mixed with the broken trees, a destroyed building, and people fleeing the field bring this painting together.

 

A Grave in a Trench

 Artist: William Orpen

Circa: 1917

Location: Wsetern Front, Europe

Image hosted by: https://www.iwm.org.uk/ 

    A Grave in the Trench is the next piece I will look at. As in the previous piece, we once again see the destruction that has taken place because of the war. However, in this piece, the focus isn't only on the destruction of the land. We also have a visual representation of people who had lost their lives on this very spot. A single cross stands in the center, surrounded by three unadorned markers sticking out of the ground. Although the people who lost their lives were fortunate to be given some small semblance of a resting place, we are shown that there wasn't enough time to allow for these individuals to be returned to their loved ones. Instead, their resting place will remain here, in some unknown patch of land, only remembered by those who laid them to rest. When I look at this piece, I am overwhelmed by the loneliness emanating from that idea.

 

    While color is important in this piece, I believe form is the strongest factor displayed. If we were to take all of the colors out of this painting and remake it as a line drawing I would still get that same feeling of loneliness. That cross would still stand silently amongst the destruction and debris. However, that doesn't mean color and tone have no meaning. The cross itself stands in the middle of this trench and resides in the shadows cast by the wall. This helps drive the sadness these soldiers' deaths have brought to their companions. Then we have color to portray the state of decay the landscape has undergone. The patches of green that had probably flourished here are now reduced to a clump here and there.

Military Cemetery at Châlons-en-Champagne

Artist: Felix Vallotton

Circa: 1917

Location: Champagne or Argonne, France

Image hosted by: https://www.bl.uk/

    For my final image, I have selected Military Cemetery at Châlons-en-Champagne. This piece also displays loss, but unlike the previous two paintings, its focus is the loss of human life instead of nature. The only display of nature here is a brief glimpse in the foreground, the grayed-out sky, and the small row of trees flanking the background. I love how this piece achieves the same loneliness as A Grave in a Trench with such a cluttered landscape. 

 

    This piece uses pattern and color magnificently here. The repeated crosses eventually blend into a sea of gray. We can no longer discern one cross from the next and the greens from the grass and bushes have been blotted out. I see another pattern in the only break of the monotone coloring with the ribbons and wreaths we can vaguely make out as our eyes sweep into the background. Then we have a silhouette of the bereaved visiting graves instead of a colored portrayal to add to the sense of sadness and loss. 

 

    Each of these paintings came into existence because of the destruction and death caused by World War I. These artists all witnessed the war from the front lines as official war artists. The thoughts, images, and emotions on display are from the first-hand experiences of these three men. They weren't sitting in a studio brainstorming or standing on a hill overlooking a tranquil landscape. Instead, they were constantly on the move watching the newly invented tools of war tear apart the homelands they loved and the companions they traveled with, never knowing if this day would be their last. Had they not been there to witness the carnage, I do not believe these paintings would speak to me on such an emotional level.

"Nash, Paul, 1889–1946 | Art UK". Artuk.Org, 2022, https://artuk.org/discover/artists/nash-paul-18891946.

"British Library". Bl.Uk, 2022, https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/military-cemetary-chalons-sur-marne.

"Sir William Orpen". Tate, 2022, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sir-william-orpen-1725.