Early Modern Art & WW1


    For this blog, I will be talking about a couple of pieces that were influenced by the conflict

before and during the First World War (WW1). 

    World War 1 began in 1914 when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria; heir to the

Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip; a Serbian nationalist.

The conflict between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers got worse and The Great War

began, killing 16 million; soldiers and civilians. World War 1 ended in 1918, making the Allied

Powers victors. To learn more about WW1 visit here.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history


"Apokalyptische Landsche" Ludwig Meidner. 1912

The first piece I chose is “Apokalyptische Landschaft” (Apocalyptic Landscape) by Ludwig Meidner. Meidner was born in 1884 and was a French expressionist painter. He was very well known for his “apocalyptic” series, which was painted in 1912 featuring visions of what was to come; the First World War. What is so fascinating about this piece is that it’s almost a foretelling painting, because this painting was done just 2 years BEFORE the war begun. 

The painting depicts 2 men running for their lives; terrified, while in the background we see what looks to be comets and explosions happening all over the city, destroying the building and homes. Meidner gives us a glimpse of what’s to come in 2 short years. My favorite part of this painting is the “comets” the destructive power he gives them is fascinating, he also uses this as the only light, if you notice it seems to have been night; from some of the buildings have the light on to indicate that people were just going to bed or possibly in bed as the chaos ensued.  I can’t begin to imagine what this man in the front would be feeling, just seeing the terror in their faces as they try to run to safety, but from the looks of the explosions in the background they may not make it out in time. We also see silhouettes of people running in the streets, really close to the flames. I feel like Meidner captured what was to come so well, the use of emotion of the citizens that are about to die, the homes that are being destroyed, the loss that is about to ensue, the devastation that Germany is about to face. 



"Artillery" Roger de la Frasnaye. 1911

“Artillery” by Roger de la Fresnaye is currently displayed at the Met Fifth Ave Gallery. De la Fresnaye was born in 1885 and was a French cubist painter. Influenced by George Braque and Pablo Picasso. De la Fresnaye enlisted in the French Army during World War 1 and was released due to him catching Tuberculosis. This painting was done in 1911 and it depicts a militia marching, 2 officers on horseback accompanying what looks to be like a wagon. In the background we see a militia band wearing blue and red colors of the French infantry.

I think like Meidner, De la Fresnaye was trying to warn people of what the future beholds if the fighting continued. Painting this just 3 years before the Great War started. De la Fresnaye uses geometric shapes to give life to the painting and tell us a story, he uses pretty simple shapes; circles for the wheels, triangles, and rectangles for the soldiers. He doesn’t give any of the soldiers’ faces of distinction but with the use of color, he tells which soldiers belong to which side of the fighting.




"Women's canteen at Phoenix works, Bradford" Flora Lion. 1918

“Women’s canteen at Phoenix works, Bradford” by Flora Lion, painted in 1918. Flora Marguerite Lion was born in 1878 and was a portrait painter. Lion was commissioned by the Ministry of Information to paint factory scenes. Nearly a million women worked in the munitions industry during WW1 taking over spots left behind by men fighting in the war. “Women’s canteen at Phoenix works, Bradford” depicts hundreds of women in a canteen purchasing their meal(s). The women are all wearing a simple dress or full-body jumpsuit, the women in the front seem to be wearing heeled shoes. We see them ordering food, others walking, and others congregating with each other. Lion not only creates depth here, but she also creates space, by placing the close-up of the women standing at the counter and placing figures at the back in smaller proportion, giving us the sense of space. This is such a powerful painting in my view, it shows powerful strong women holding up the economy while men fight and die in the war. She shows the capabilities of women, not only could they do the work of men, they could do it heels. 





"Paths of Glory" Christopher R. W. Nevinson. 1917

The last painting I will be discussing is “Paths of Glory” by Christopher R. W. Nevinson painted in 1917. Nevinson was born in 1889 and was an English figure and landscape painter. Nevinson served as a volunteer ambulance driver on the Western Front from November 1914-January 1915 during WW1. Nevinson was commissioned by the British War Propaganda Bureau to be a war artist. 

“Paths of Glory” depicts 2 soldiers on their grave, dead. They are surrounded by empty grassland and we see bar wires in the background, both of their helmets on the floor as if they were shot from behind, launching them forward on their face. The soldier whose entire body we see seems to be laying on his firearm and is carrying a satchel. We see a glimpse of a beautiful blue sky in the distance, and no one else seems to be close enough to help or to have possibly witnessed their end. 

This painting is so daunting, it shows the atrocious truth of the men that were dying in empty fields, alone, and others unaware of their death. Nevinson wanted to show people the atrocities that were occurring on the battlefield he displayed the painting in 1918 despite it being marked censored by the officials’ censor of paintings. Nevinson was reprimanded by the War Office, but despite it, the Imperial War Museum purchased the artwork directly from the exhibition and has had it since then.




Works Cited


Comments

  1. LauraApril 5, 2021 at 11:37 AM

    I also chose to talk about the influence WW1 had, and I really like the art that you chose to illustrate your point about the war. I am very interested in how so many people were affected by the war, and how each had their own story to tell- or in the case of artists, their own picture to illustrate. The works you chose portray a specific battle as well as the feel and fear of the war, which I can appreciate more because we can see what the war looked like and how it affected people. I focused on art that illustrated the emotions being felt about war rather than battle scenes because I actually couldn't find one. That being said, I really enjoyed your analysis of "Paths of Glory" even though it was indeed very daunting. Nice job!

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  2. Dylan MaltosApril 5, 2021 at 10:44 PM

    I was a fan of the art you included in your exhibit as they definitely have significant influence from the events of World War I. War related art is quite fascinating for the reason being that majority of the time they are used to depict real events from war. They also provide a feeling of fear when observing just from the gruesome concept of war. Great blog post and awesome analysis!

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