Combat Artists | Early Modern

War through the Eyes of an Artist

I decided to pick something different for my blog. If you've followed a few of my posts, you might have noticed that I tend to lean more toward painterly styles. To be honest, I tend to feel uncomfortable with analyzing “rougher” mediums such as watercolor, charcoal, and graphite since I believe the texture that you can achieve with them allows more intense emotion. The pieces I've collected for this post were done by combat artists who were assigned to cover the horrors of war (Wade, 2014). Some scenes depict tragedy, while some depict peaceful moments between comrades. Nonetheless, these pieces capture moments in history directly through the eyes of those who have experienced them.

Harvey, D. (1918) 'The Harvest Moon'. Marne, France: Dunn

The mixed media painting by Captain Harvey Dunn depicts dead German soldiers across a field as the moon shines over the harvest. Behind the field is a town, destroyed and left burning (Wade, 2014). The smoke fills the air as the moon is nearly covered by it, and the plants catch the ash left by the fire. Captain Dunn uses expressive and loose lines to portray the chaotic aftermath of the war. The lines depicting the houses and fallen soldiers are solid compared to the blurry field. The natural shape of the soldiers is organic in contrast to the dusty and smoother shapes of the landscape.

George, H. (1918) 'Between Shells, Chateau Thierry'. Chateau Thierry, France: Harding

The artwork depicts an intense moment of chaos as American troops emerge from a destroyed building with the enemy's fire momentarily interrupted (Wade, 2014). The stark and bold lines express the intensity of the situation. Harding's use of dramatic highlights emphasizes the terror in the scene, possibly reflecting the explosive quality of the grenades and weapons used (Chateau Thierry 2025). His use of darker values captures the shock and urgency across the faces of the soldiers as they run towards safety. This piece is the one that I lean towards the most; the work not only represents the savagery of battle but also allows us to connect to it emotionally. The image nearly feels like a memory, vivid in its depiction, almost like the moment is embedded in the artist’s memory.

Walter, D. (1918) 'A Quiet Game in Essey'. Essey, France: Duncan

Compared to the other works presented, “A Quiet Game in Essey” has a calm atmosphere. The weary soldiers found an abandoned building for shelter. They play a game of cards and huddle around each other (Wade, 2014). At this moment, they are simply boys playing a game of cards as they temporarily forget about the reality of war. The artist uses a cross-hatching method to create contrast in the environment. Through this method, Duncan uses controlled lines to define the architecture and the bodies of the soldiers. The combination of the hard shapes of the building and the softer shapes of the figures creates an uncertain atmosphere, one that is calm yet weary. Together, these pieces are historical accounts of World War I, representing instances of relief for soldiers and the realities of warfare. They are emotional visual testimonies, conveying aspects of emotions and challenges that soldiers found while fighting during the Great War.

Chateau Thierry (2025) Army Heritage Center Foundation. Available at: https://www.armyheritage.org/soldier-stories-information/chateau-thierry/ (Accessed: 02 April 2025).

Wade, B. (2014) World War I Art and Combat Artists, National Archives and Records Administration. Available at: https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2014/06/13/world-war-i-art-and-artists/ (Accessed: 02 April 2025).