The Art of War
This post was meant for Memorial Day, but I was too busy running around to put it together!
One common theme in war is the power of art, which is produced by all parties involved. I created an extensive presentation for a peace studies class last year about the art of war because I believe that a lot of people miss how powerful visual images can be.
This site archives a lot of war-related art produced in World Wars I and II. Some artists are unknown but are remembered by their work.
Here is an extensive collection of Nazi Propaganda posters. Notice the similarities in style–realistic and no room for abstraction. Adolf Hitler was once an aspiring art student but hated the abstract and experimental movements going on in Europe at the time. When he came into power, he burned many pieces and arrested avant-garde artists.
Comic books were not spared from the war movement. In came Superman to help the attacks against the Japan.
Of course, anyone can be an artist and that includes victims. Here is a chilling collection of drawings made by survivors of the atomic bombings in Nagasaki, Japan.
Iri and Toshi Maruki devoted the greater part of their lives depicting war atrocities.
There are so many more war-related art out there, but if there is one you should absolutely know and understand is Picasso’s Guernica. The ultimate symbol of the atrociousness of war, Guernica depicts the civilian bombing of the Spanish by the Nazis. I have seen this painting used in many movies that depict the horrors of war, including the recent film Children of Men.
Memorial Day should be just that: a day to remember those who have fallen–soldiers and civilians alike, whether it’s a heroic death, pitiful slaughtering, or entire family lineages that were wiped out with the blast of a bomb. Everyone in one way or another has been touched by war, whether it’s the ongoing war in Iraq or a war that happened over 50 years ago. The only good thing to come of these is that, through the power of art, we can continue to remember the people that they affected.
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