Monthly Archives: December 2009
New War Art for Afghanistan Soldiers
Art right now is different than it has ever been, and in particular war art is of a wholly different genre than in any generations previous. Historical pictures of soldiers tend to portray the soldiers in strong, bold positions, while the rise of photography brought a more humane, but distinctly hard appearance to the idea of war. The new war art portrayals, in contrast, suggest a more human innocence to these Afghanistan soldiers. The following different types of war art are exemplars of the new types of war art coming out of this generation, in particular with regards to Afghanistan soldiers. 1. Murals One particular war art mural is currently being done by Canadian artist Dave Sopha. He is currently in the process of painting a long mural that includes the faces of all 113 Canadian Afghanistan soldiers who have died thus far into Canada’s military action. His mural is not like war art of past times, however; rather than the bold, full body, intense looking portraits that characterized war art in history, he paints just slightly smiling faces, all looking out of the canvas, innocent and brave. 2. Poetry/Art Slams The blog “Talking About Peace” every Saturday holds a … Continue reading
Artworks Destroyed in Iraq
One of the greatest cultural disappointments since Americans sent soldiers in Iraq was the chaos that allowed for the destruction of various artworks across the country, both by the soldiers in Iraq, along with plenty of civilian looters, as well as tangential bombings. Moreover, at this point, the lack of records and art infrastructure has made it so that many of the destroyed artworks have not even been recorded or noticed in their disappearance. In some ways, however, this destruction represents a new type of artwork that showcases the destruction of the old artwork as belonging to the past before Americans put soldiers in Iraq, back in the time of Saddam Hussein. 1. Murals One of the more common and visible artworks of Iraq, and of Baghdad in particular, was the result of a community mural project which looked to place artworks all over the city. These murals appear to have been created by locals, though their consistent subject matter of soldiers in Iraq, both Iraqi and various other soldiers, and almost always with Saddam Hussein looking genially over the scene, appear to have been state-sponsored. Though Americans may not understand their draw, and many Iraqis seem to dislike at … Continue reading
Unusual Artwork from Iraq
Since the invasion of Iraq, there has been a great cultural thirst in the rest of the world to view Iraqi artwork. So far much of this has had to do with typical war art, including various photographs, generally of a soldier in his day to day life, or of civilians in the same. There have, however, been a number of unusual art pieces that have been made public or simply made as a result of this invasion. Some of these pieces are showcased in a gallery, though their matter is unusual, while others are in less gallery-oriented medias. 1. Signs of destruction Some of the most moving artwork from Iraq right now is that having to do with the destruction of parts of the country, and which showcases twisted remnants of this destruction. One gallery in Baghdad is currently holding an exhibition of sculptures made from the wrecked remnants of war materials. These sculptures include a flower fashioned from a machine gun barrel lost by a soldier, while a sculpture of fish is made from bullet casings. In contrast to much of the war art relating to Iraq right now, this gallery and its artwork does not showcase the … Continue reading
Ways to Honor Iraq Soldiers with Art
Though many people prefer to support troops by sending commodities or writing letters, using artwork is a great way to support troops in Iraq is by using art. Even for people who have little or no artistic background, this can be an extremely touching way to personalize letters to Iraq soldiers, or to raise awareness to support troops. If you have any inclination toward supporting Iraq soldiers, the following suggestions are ways to incorporate your artistic abilities with this support, in a helpful, creative way. 1. Artistic letters Sending letters to Iraq soldiers is a great way to support troops, and a common act. While sending letters is a great practice, sending a little piece of artwork, or a highly decorated letter can be even more touching. Better yet, if a drawing can be included with the letter that will help the Iraq soldiers to remember easier or happier times, this can be a great way to support troops in an artistic way. 2. Portraits A growing trend among artists looking to support troops in Iraq is to paint portraits of deceased soldiers, or photograph current soldiers, usually free of charge to give to the families of these Iraq soldiers. … Continue reading
War Heroes and War Art
Throughout history, war heroes have traditionally liked extremely heroic war art done of themselves. Of course, this tends to have been done before the time of photography, however the photography tended to inhibit the extravagance and exuberance of war art, in favor of a more realistic and less dressed up version of events. For that reason, among others, war art of the past seems to be particularly favored, though fairly out of style, both for its disassociation with reality and for its glorified ideals. 1. To commemorate Often, war art of war heroes is made to commemorate a particularly notable event or proud moment. In particular, before records were as well preserved and as accurately kept, war art was a great way to provide what externally appeared to be an incredibly accurate portrayal of events and of the war heroes. Moreover, in the days when the victors told the only stories, war art seemed both more officious and more believable than stories told by the subjugated and uneducated. 2. To intimidate As people who study the subject know, history has a tendency of giving war heroes accolades that they hadn’t originally received. For instance, one of the most well known … Continue reading
War Art to Support Troops
Right now one of the most common forms of “war art” made specifically to support troops is portraits. These portraits are often drawings or paintings of fallen soldiers that are done pro bono by local artists and then shipped to the families of the fallen soldiers. However, there are a number of different groups that are currently trying to support troops by disseminating paintings both of these fallen soldiers, all in different mediums, and of veterans, and to raise awareness of the troubles of war. All of the following projects look to support troops worldwide, and honor those who have given their lives, though they are just a small taste of the support troops have been receiving from the citizens of America. 1. Soldier Portraits This project looks to photograph portraits of soldiers, but does so on a collodion wet plate in the same process used to document most of the Civil War. Each soldier receives a copy of his or her portrait, while the rest of the exhibit travels to different galleries promoting the project and raising awareness, both for fallen soldiers, and, ultimately, the veterans who come home, all in order to support troops in America and abroad. … Continue reading
Most Famous Paintings of Soldiers Ever
Paintings of soldiers tend to be grand, heroic works that represent both bravery and suffering, reality and idealism. The following paintings cover the whole spectrum, and represent the ideals of each of these different feelings, in their own ways. Moreover, all of these paintings are incredibly famous, not just as a representation of war and of soldiers, but as a masterpiece of artistic creation, both in technique and interpretation. 1. Washington Crossing the Delaware These paintings (there are many copies) of General George Washington crossing the Delaware River was painted by Emanuel Leutze. These paintings depict George Washington in a boat with a bunch of his soldiers rowing across the freezing Delaware River to launch a surprise attach against the Hessian soldiers currently stationed in Trenton. 2. Napoleon Crossing the Alps These paintings (there are five copies) depict Napoleon Bonaparte on a rearing horse en route to crossing the Alps. In the background are a number of soldiers with whom he is making the journey. These paintings are known for being highly stylized, but are still considered great masterpieces of production. 3. The Night Watch This painting is one of the most famous works by Rembrandt that depicts a number … Continue reading
War Heroes Gallery Sites
Around the world, in every war fought by people, there are war heroes to which other citizens inevitable owe their lives and to whom they pay their respects. In America alone there are thousands of memorial to war heroes which collectively receive millions of visitors annually. The difficulty of these memorials to our war heroes is that they are scattered around the country, making it difficult for people distances away to pay their respect to the war heroes they so admire. Fortunately, the internet offers a wonderful variety of sites, each with a picture gallery that stand in testament to all sorts of war heroes around the world, both providing a dissemination of the names and deeds of these war heroes, and allowing those who already with to pay their respects to view a gallery without the difficulty of long distance travel. 1. Lettersfront.org This website has a gallery of pictures of Jewish war heroes who served in Word War II. In addition, they have stories, documents, music, and a number of other electronized artifacts set to commemorate these war heroes in their gallery. 2. IraqWarHeroes.org/AfghanistanWarHeroes.org This website (the two addresses link to the same site) maintains an incredible gallery … Continue reading
Most Famous Artworks Memorializing Soldiers
There are artworks all over the country that memorialize our nation’s soldiers. Some of these soldiers have fought for America in our wars, while some were soldiers living in America that fought against the officially recognized “America”. No matter what, however, the following artworks are some of the most well known in this country, both in memorializing soldiers and as general artworks. Of course, all of these are a testament to our nation’s belief in its soldiers, and the important of having artworks, among other forms of gratitude, stand as a lasting remembrance of their sacrifices. 1. Crazy Horse Memorial This memorial perhaps has the record for the longest ongoing creation of any current artworks. It is a sculpture of the Oglala Lakota Crazy Horse, one of the most famous Native American soldiers of all time. It was begun in 1948 by a sculptor who died in 1982 and left his wife and ten kids to finish the project. They have repeatedly refused funding offers from the United States government and so work at a fairly slow pace. The face was completed in 1998, after 50 years, and is big enough to house all four of the faces on the … Continue reading