A Little Art History

Military Art

During WWII several trends were set that changed the way those at home thought about the war.  As early as 1942 the Marine Corps set up a special detachment of artists who were asked to record what they saw on the battlefield.  But it didn’t stop there.  In essence, the artists were charged to record any event, emotion or element that focused on the war effort and effects.  Before this formal program was implemented, even as early as WWI, artists had produced a powerful body of work that was the foundation of a military art movement.  Since this beginning, many Marine, Army and Navy personnel have worked in a wide range of media.

Photographers were sent into combat and recorded the instant something happened.  This was forwarded back to papers, magazines and posters on the home front.  But what the artist saw and recorded can be on a much higher emotional level.  Marines and Army/Navy personnel were implored to “see what they painted.”  Near the end of WWII the art program struggled through much debate and the budget for the entire program was cut severely.  Additionally, the program was criticized by the home front and Congress.  They felt that art was not an essential part of war, although the artists were risking their lives in the field trying to record with humanity and emotion the real issues of the war.

As the Vietnam War started, it took thousands into battle, including artists.  Although the U.S. Marine art program had waned in support since WWII, in 1966 the complete works were placed in a special division, and as many as 350 artists were deployed and completed over 8,000 pieces of art.  Likewise, the Army and Navy artists were using paintings as a way to communicate events without divulging confidential details, and for this reason the paintings were often more useful than photographs.

Although being an artist in a wartime situation may seem a way to avoid danger, the artists were required to do all their normal training, duty and responsibilities.  Any art they created was to be done on their own time, without any interference with their normal duties.  The dedication of these artists must be appreciated because they were taking chances during the fighting just as any serviceman/woman did.

Today’s military art is often completed by retired, discharged or Reserve enlistees.  It is also created by non-military persons/artists who have done research and want to document a special event in our history.  Over 2,000 pieces of military art created by military personnel and other artists is housed in the U.S. Army Center of Military History, Museum Division.  This division was established in 1992, where it has a permanent part in the Museum Division's Collections Branch.  Publishers clamor for new images of almost any wartime event because collectors want documentation and support for their research and interests.

Two things are true of military art.  First, it must be authentic in detail.  Few artistic privileges are possible when you depict scenes in which military personnel may have been killed or injured.  Second, the logistics of the event must be correct.  Respect for the military persons involved is always in the forefront.  If an artist is to paint a scene, it must be depicted correctly.

Military art, whether it is done in retrospect or at the time of the event, shares an element unknown in almost any other creative endeavor. Due to the circumstances of combat, it may not be a pleasant scene and it is not settling, but it is truth.  That is for what most of the artists who paint military scenes strive.

For images visit www.history.army.mil, www.heritagestudio.com, and www.history.navy.mil.

Exhibitions

Over the Top:  American Posters from World War I is on view at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA, through Jan. 25.  The Art of War:  American Posters from World War I and World War II is on view at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, CA, through Jan. 26.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 19 No. 2 — December 2008