Several years ago, when I worked at the Glenbow Museum, I saw a traveling exhibition of art owned by the Canadian Museum of War. From this exhibition, I learned that governments would hire artists to act as recorders of war. They would represent great battles, as well as the daily existence of war. This was especially important before the days of photography, but even during the First and Second World Wars, artists were still employed. They lived the war. Like the soldiers, the dodged bombs and watched their comrades die. Their duty was to leave a legacy about "how it was".
It was very emotional and heart-breaking for me to look at these pieces of art. But no matter how hard it is, it is so important that we remember what these men and women did for our country. The veterans from the First World War have almost all past away, and we are quickly losing those who fought in the Second World War. It is my fear that we will forget. I post these works of art for my Grandpa who fought in WWII, but never talks about it.
5 comments:
I was very moved by your paintings. As I read your blog entry, I was thinking that I had always thought that photography was an excellent form of visual art. I had always thought that the Pulitzer prize photographs would form the basis of a unit. It is ironic that war and its consequences have given rise to some of the most startling and memorable photographs we have seen and I am sending some of them to you. A few are disturbing, and I send this not to insult or to be vulgar but to show war as the lens has seen it.
I wanted to send you these photographs but it is beyond my technical expertise so I am sending you the links. If anyone knows how to attach images to comments to a blog, let me know.
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u51/vkr_bibin/Life/napalm-12.jpg
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/9305/flagraisinghr1.jpg
http://www.nandotimes.com/nt/images/century/photos/century0258.jpeg
http://media.npr.org/programs/wesat/features/2006/dec/iran_lg.jpg
http://www.solcomhouse.com/images/KentState.jpg
I will post these photos at my blog.
I love this post. I wrote a little note on my blog about a great podcast I listened to all about war artists and their role today. Head to my blog for the instructions on how to find it if you are interested.
Amanda, can you let me know where/how you accessed these images... When I googled this museum I found lots of hits, but none that got me to these moving images.
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