Baghdad Museum

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 least part of the subject material, these artworks are certainly part of the local culture. Unfortunately, photographs of foreign soldiers in Iraq destroying these murals have been widely circulated, further suggesting this great disparity between cultures.

2. Baghdad Museum Artworks

Some of the most well known destruction of artworks since Americans have placed soldiers in Iraq happened at the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad which was severely looted and destroyed. To this day it is unclear how many artworks were lost, with some people suggesting numbers well over one hundred and fifty thousand pieces, while the director-general of restoration at the Iraqi Antiquities Department has claimed that the vast majority of the artworks were saved by storing them in vaults designed to protect them against bombings. American soldiers in Iraq in particular have taken a lot of flak over their failure to protect these artworks, though contradicting reports suggest that some of the looters were highly organized and knowledgeable, while others suggest that the looting may have been greatly exaggerated. In any case, it is definite that some amount of looting went on, and worldwide organizations have begun to gather pictures of the looted artworks, looking to publish them in hopes of an eventual recovery.

3. Saddam paraphernalia

One of the most publicized images after Americans sent soldiers in Iraq to depose the leader was the toppling statue of Saddam Hussein. Indeed, American soldiers in Iraq were quick to notice the number of artworks hailing the regime of Saddam around the country. After the complete invasion, however, many of these pieces were destroyed, somewhat by soldiers in Iraq, but often enough by civilians who had been displeased by the previous regime. Though it is, in some sense, a tragedy that these representations of a certain period were destroyed, their destruction has spawned a whole new series of artworks, including photographs and reworked copies of the originals that signify the destruction as the end of an artwork era in Iraq.

Washington Crossing the Delaware

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 of soldiers getting ready to leave on a campaign. This painting is actually incorrectly named, but was coated with a dark varnish for most of its modern existence, giving it the appearance of taking place at night, though that was not the intention. It was commissioned by the Captain portrayed in the painting and his 17 soldiers, all of whom appear in the painting. It is one of a series of seven similar paintings the same soldiers commissioned under all different artists.

4. The Third of May 1808

This painting by Francisco Goya depicts a number of soldiers taking prisoners. It is said, along with The Second of May 1808, to commemorate Napoleon’s capture of the Spanish resistance. It is said to be one of the first paintings that depicted the humanity of war, since the captured prisoners look terrified and shocked in a way that is not normally depicted in the heroic portraits of history, most especially of soldiers.

5. Guernica

This is perhaps the most famous of all Pablo Picasso’s paintings. Despite being quite abstract, it clearly depicts the suffering of civilians during the bombing of Guernica by German and Italian soldiers.

Marine Corps War Memorial

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 nearby Mount Rushmore.

2. U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial

This memorial of six figures raising a flag is perhaps one of the most famous American depictions of soldiers. This massive statue is based upon an extremely famous photograph of the same thing. Upon seeing this photograph, the sculptor was purportedly so moved that he decided to create one of the most famous artworks in the US of these exact soldiers. It currently stands in Washington DC as a memorial to all deceased Marine soldiers.

3. Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain is an extremely large monadnock in Georgia on which three infamous soldiers of the Confederate side of the Civil War are carved, comprising the largest bas-relief in the world. The three soldiers Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis are carved as 90 foot artworks. This mountain is famous as a monadnock as well, being extremely prominent, but draws most of its visitors for the artworks carved on its side.

4. Fallen soldiers memorial

This memorial is actually a series of artworks all over the country all of the same thing. These statues depict a soldier’s boots with a gun sticking up vertically and a soldier’s helmet on top. These artworks are placed anywhere that fallen soldiers are to be commemorated, and have thus been placed all over the country, commemorating soldiers of almost every campaign.