Combat
Art of World War II
Photo from http://www.pbs.org/theydrewfire/
"What makes the work thrilling,
interesting and dramatic is the fact that these men have seen action in
the Aleutians, the Pacific, Africa, Sicily and other theaters of war, and
yet have found time to put down on canvas the things they have seen and
experienced so that the people back home will receive not only a photographic
point of view but an emotional and spiritual one as well." Aimee
Crane (Quote from Art in the Armed Forces, 1972
In 1943, the War Department, under the guide of
Secretary Henry Stimson, formed an Art Advisory Committee that was charged
with selecting and assigning artists to various theaters of operation.
In all, forty-two artists were selected, nineteen civilians and twenty-three
soldiers. Below is a discussion of some of these combat artists and
an exploration of some of their insightful works of art produced during
World War II. The role of the combat artist may be detailed most
precisely by quoting from the memorandum that George Biddle, original chairman
of the War Department Art Advisory Committee, sent to overseas art units
in April of 1943. Biddle stated,
"In this war there will be a greater amount than
ever before of factual reporting, of photographs and moving pictures.
You are not sent out merely as news gatherers. You have been selected
as outstanding American artists, who will record the war in all its phases,
and its impact on you as artists and as human beings. The War Department
Art Advisory Committee is giving you as much latitude as possible in your
method of work, whether by sketches done on the spot, sketches made from
memory, or from notes taken on the spot, for it is recognized that an artist
does his best work when he is not tied down by narrow technical limitations.
What we insist on is the best work you are individually capable of; and
the most integrated picture of war in all its phases that your group is
capable of. This will require team play on your part as well as individual
effort. It is suggested that you will freely discuss each other's
work and assignments, always in hope of new suggestions and new enthusiasm.
Any subject is in order, if as artists you feel it is part of War; battle
scenes and the front line; battle landscapes; the wounded; the dying and
the dead; prisoners of war; field hospitals and base hospitals; wrecked
habitations and bombing scenes; character sketches of our own troops, of
prisoners, of the natives of the country you visit...the tactical implements
of war; embarkation and debarkation scenes; the nobility, courage, cowardice,
cruelty, boredom of war...Try to omit nothing; duplicate to your heart's
content. Express if you can-realistically or symbolically- the essence
and spirit of War. You may be guided by Blake's mysticism, by Goya's
cynicism and savagery, by Delacroix's romanticism, by Daumier's humanity
and tenderness; or better still follow you own inevitable star."
U.S. Army Artists in Combat---Art in the
United States Army resulted primarily from the need for embellishing the
blank walls of hundreds of recreation buildings being constructed during
1940. The artists were enlisted to help make these buildings more
aesthetically attractive and to work with interior decorating. In
other instances the artists were used to create visual aids for training
troops or Army artists were used to create cartoons for camp newspapers.
Basically the artist provided all the artistic and visual services necessary
for the military community. Moreover, the soldier artists were transferring
to canvas the subject of war, with its modern machinery, intense emotions,
and grim realities.
The first of these U.S. Army artists to be discussed
is Second Lieutenant Edward A. Reep (pictured in the above photo)
from the Third Engineer Amphibian Brigade. Second Lieutenant Reep
was eventually transferred to the Fifth Army Historical Section and served
extensively in the armies North African and Italian campaigns from April
1943 to September 1945. This African-Italian based unit of artists
produced the most extensive documentation of the war in general.
As Edward Reep stated about his wartime experience, "I fought the war more
furiously perhaps with my paintbrush than with my weapons. And i
always put myself in a position where I could witness or be a part of the
fighting. That was my job, I felt." Below are a few of Edward
Reep's significant pieces and short descriptions for each:
The Morning After
1944. Watercolor and casein. 151/2x211/4
Soldiers stack the uniforms and equipment of men killed in the shelling
of a movie tent.
We
Move Again
1944. Gouache. 14x20 in.
Produced at Anzio, Italy, this character study of exhausted soldiers on
the move could apply to the entire
Italian campaign. Never sure what the next day would bring, always
alert and ready to go, tired,
unshaven men squint their eyes to avoid the dust and move onward.
PFC Anthony J. Kohlrus
1944. Pen and ink. 191/2 x 143/4.
A minor casualty, PFC Kohlrus of the 133rd Infantry Division, is "tagged"
and waits for further
treatment at the 3rd Battalion Aid Station.
Private Gustav Rehberger executed mural decorations in
the Chicago area before being inducted into the Army in July of 1943.
His works below were inspired by the battles waged in Germany.
Under the Wire
1943.
Attack
on Little Berlin
1943.
In addition, the work by Corporal Robert G. Doares displays the
bravery brought forth during the costly war.
The "Fireman's Carry"
U.S. Navy Artists in Combat---Under the
Navy Department's Office of Public Relations the Art and Poster Section
was created to obtain pictorial material from the combat arena for publicity
and historical purposes, as well as for technical reference. These
individual's in addition to being commissioned officers, as well as artists,
were assigned to additional duties as junior officers of the watch.
In all theaters of the war and in all the great Naval battles of Guadalcanal,
Savo Island and Santa Cruz, Amchitka in the Aleutians, aboard convoys to
Iceland and Africa, in the invasion of Sicily and Italy, these officer-artists
experienced the combat events first-hand. These artists captured
the drama that unfolded and they could be in some cases more effective
than photographers. This was due to the fact that they could omit
specific confidential details that would otherwise appear on a photograph.
Moreover, artists could more readily capture scenes at night or in bad
weather conditions and they could portray action that was widely scattered
across the sea, air, and land. Essentially, the artist could reconstruct
the scene from his memory and viewpoint, centering his attention, focus,
and emotion wherever he wished.
Lieutenant Dwight Shepler had his first Naval
assignment on board a destroyer on a convoy in the Pacific. He later
saw duty on a cruiser during the Battle of Santa Cruz, and on a battleship
during Guadalcanal. His pictures truly allow the viewer to understand
the perils involved during warfare and his depiction's are moving and stunning
scenes of the bravery that was demonstrated by all individuals involved.
Under
Fire
Prisoners by Rescue.
Japanese survivors picked up by a whaleboat
Lieutenant Mitchell Jamieson depicted
scenes from the military occupation of North Africa (Oran, Tunis, Bizerte)
as well as documenting the action that he was apart of during the invasion
of Sicily in 1943. Later, in Italy at Salerno he was aboard a destroyer
surveying the action when our troops went in. His paintings comprise
an explicit narrative as to what our fighting troops were encountering
on these European battlefronts.
Rendezvous
at Dawn
Gun Crew (Sicilian Invasion)
Lieutenant William F. Draper was commissioned
in the U.S. Naval Reserve in June of 1942. His first assignment took
him to the Aleutian Islands where he was present when the Japanese attacked
Amchitka Island. Later, he landed with the second wave of Marines
at Bougainville. After Bougainville he was assigned to duty on the
USS Yorktown and painted a series of pieces on the first attack on Palau.
Finally, he covered the invasion of Saipan and Guam aboard the USS Tennessee.
His works reveal the spirit of our fighting men with their courage, heroism,
and sacrifice.
Pilots at Play: Scene in a Yakutat hut, Umnak, Alaska
Kodiak--Cooperation
On
a puddled runway at Kodiak, Alaska, an Army B26 refuels and a Navy gas
truck supplies it.
U.S. Marine Artists in Combat were primarily
soldiers whom engaged in art making when they had the time away from their
regular duties. The combat artists shared equally in the hardships
and dangers that surrounded every other person in their units. Unless,
his duties were to draw for a Marine Corps publication, his main responsibilities
rested with winning the war. They were Marines first, and artists,
second. This was and is the strict code of tradition for the Corps:
Every
man a fighting man. A variety of methods and materials were employed
in their works including oils, water colors, wash drawings, pen and ink
drawings, and pencil sketches. Their topics range from scenes from
the jungles of Guadalcanal to portraits of Marine Corps officers.
Major Donald L. Dickson was a member of the
Marine Corps Reserve for fifteen years and served four months on Guadalcanal
as a regimental adjutant. He painted what he saw and as he simply
stated, "That's what I want to draw! I want to picture them just as they
are-tired and dirty, rough, and sometimes scared, but with the best damned
spirit in the world."
Instructions to a Patrol, Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal Marine
Technical Sergeant Victor P. Donahue completed his recruit training
at San Diego and then went overseas with the Public Relations section of
a combat unit. His keen artistic work captured the true essence of
what is was to be a United States Marine during World War II.
A Marine
Captain George M. Harding was designated "official
artist of the American Expeditionary Forces" in World War I, but was attached
to the First Marine Amphibious Corps in the South Pacific during World
War II. His work was deeply respected by his fellow Marines because
of its accuracy and sharp attention to detail.
Ready!
Night Attack
In
the foreground is a combat team already in action behind a machine-gun,
as a fellow Marine prepares for a
backward-flip in a few seconds
before spilling air from his chute, disengaging himself and reporting at
his battle
station.
Technical Sergeant Herbert H. Laidman sketched
Marine life in the battle arena of the Southwest Pacific from a close and
personal perspective. His artistic talents allowed him to receive
a place as Combat Correspondent with a Marine Aircraft Wing.
Henderson Field, Night
U. S. Coast Guard Artists in Combat
recorded
military action and activities from Iwo Jima to the waters of Iceland.
Though their numbers were few, these combat artists illustrated the spirit
of the soldier and the nature of the war.
Sergeant Ben Wolf was enlisted in the Coast
Guard in 1942 and was assigned to Greenland as a combat artist, where he
spent six months recording the events in that area of warfare.
Semper Paratus
CBM Hunter Wood spent time as a combat artist
aboard a cutter engaged in antisubmarine duty in the waters of the North
Atlantic. In addition, he was aboard a transport vessel that participated
in the invasion of North Africa.
Hot
Moment off Sicily
LST
in Action
CPO Norman Millet Thomas enlisted in the Coast
Guard in 1942. His works reveal to the viewer, life as it was in
Greenland during World War II.
Coast Guard Commando Raid in Greenland
The first attack in the war by the United States Coast Guard was a
raid on Nazi radio equipment by Coast Guard Personnel on Greenland patrol.
The above is a brief exploration into some of the
insightful and diverse works produced by combat artists from different
military branches during World War II. The combat artist played a
vital role in the war, documenting events and recording the details of
human sacrifice and suffering. The artists created visual documents
that may serve as both remarkable aesthetic creations as well as important
educational tools for generations to come. Capturing more than a
camera, the artworks are layered with the individual artist's perceptions,
feelings, and interpretations. Their visions were transformed to
illustrations which define the diverse range of the human situation that
was involved during this people's war.
All
pictures are from the sources located on the Bibliography Page
Links for further information regarding combat artistry:
http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org6-4.htm
http://www.pbs.org/theydrewfire/
Questions and/or comments to pkaplan@acusd.edu
