Early Modern Era
This artwork is called, "Cavalry and Tanks at Arras" by Lieutenant Alfred Bastien. Created in Arras, France in 1918.
The artist captures the transition from traditional warfare to the introduction of tanks, which is one of many symbols of innovation during WWI. This piece shows the tank pointed in the direction of the horses which could symbolize the different innovation during this war. The cavalry of horses and the moving action of them as well as the mixture of cool and warm colors gives off an unsure feeling of what is to come. The flowing and blurred brush strokes help it feel like the horses are moving and with the entire flow of the painting. The cavalry of horses is seemingly confident, but then I see the tank and that's where the line becomes blurry. It certainly emphasized the old going into the new.
This piece is called, "Canadians at Ypres" by William Barnes-Wollen. It was created in Ypres, Belgium in 1915.
This piece shows unity of the soldiers and resilience as they fight together in this war. It reflects the bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers. The artist captures their heroism and teamwork during the war. The use of warm colors supports the feeling of a team, as does their positions in the painting and the communication from one soldier to another. The contrast helps show the smoke further away to help symbolize the active war. This painting is just one example of the many different ways the war can be portrayed.
This artwork is called, "Harvest Battle" by Christopher Nevinson. It was created in London, U.K. in 1918.
This piece is a very tragic and honest depiction of the result of war. It shows the reality of what these soldiers faced during this time and the toll that it took on them. The artists work shows the destruction of the environment and soldiers. It shows how truly brutal WWI was. My initial reaction to this piece is that it is dark. It is hard to see because of how dark and gloomy it is. This really reflects the feeling of the soldiers. It gives the painting a somber and cold feeling. The soldiers that are slouching and carrying others gives me a feeling of exhaustion and sadness. The muted colors and dead bodies just emphasize the suffering during the war.
Carson, J. (2020, November 12). The Art of World War One in 35 paintings. History Hit. https://www.historyhit.com/the-art-of-world-war-one-in-paintings/
The harvest of battle. Imperial War Museums. (n.d.). https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/20223
Official Art - cavalry and tanks at Arras, 1918. Canada and the First World War. (n.d.). https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/objects-and-photos/art-and-culture/official-art/cavalry-and-tanks-at-arras-1918/
At first when i started reading this I was like wait what's the connection to then I actually looked at the art and was like duh! WW1! I think it is pretty obvious since all of your chosen paintings are of that theme, but a header might be nice, just to introduce your blog. The three paintings seem to all have a little bit different of a style. The first one to me does not really have distinct lines where the other two are more detailed. The last one is almost hard to look at. You can smell the smoke from the battlefield and it just looks cold and wet and miserable. How sad for these men to be carrying their dead and injured friends and brothers from the field. The men in the second picture just look stronger and like they have a chance, not so defeated like in the third picture. This war was the bloodiest and most horrible with so many deaths and new ways of fighting because of the modern technology that was beginning to come out with their better guns and canons. The world was advancing this war really showed that.
ReplyDeleteThis was wonderful art you selected though the two of them are blurred and find it difficult to understand and see them I Like Canadians at Ypres" by William Barnes Wollen showed the resilience of the soldiers in fighting this war the their determination really this war was tough and led to bloodshed. I concurred with the warm colors used in the picture for example the warm grays have a brown undertone. Would like to keep this art and helps me read more about the two wars.
ReplyDeleteThe paintings you chose are really impressive. It's interesting how they all share similar settings but each has a unique style. "Cavalry and Tanks at Arras" by Lieutenant Alfred Bastien makes me think of a battlefield reflected in rippling water. I agree that this painting has a certain flow and a touch of chaos to it, which makes it even more interesting.
ReplyDeleteI, too, chose WWI as my muse to pick art from. It's obvious that you were going for that. I think WWI heavily impacted art at this time because it was one of the bigger things happening around them at the time. I liked the paintings you chose; however, all the artists had the same painting styles, if not slightly different. I wanted this era because I saw a lot of different painting styles that depicted the war. I think that Harvest Battle is a painting that I wouldn't own, but I think one of my family members might find it fascinating, so I might get a copy for them. What did you think about the coloring that varied from painting to painting? Is there one color scheme you liked more than the others?
ReplyDeleteYour post makes me think of my dad and how many times we have watched the History Channel together. He loved watching about the different wars that we have had. These paintings are so different but at the same time show real life events and you can almost feel what was happening in them. Great job on picking such great paintings and on the information you have provided.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you chose paintings that are all about WWI but all have a different style to them. The last painting you chose shows a very good depiction of what it looked like on the battlefield. The second picture is also a good depiction and shows us what it looked like when they are working together as a team. You did a great job choosing artwork for this blog.
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