World War I
The War and Art
Introduction: In class we have studied the development of stalemate on the Western
Front. From this trench warfare, soldier’s attitudes toward war were greatly changed. We
have analyzed the various attitudes soldiers had to the war and now you will take a virtual
art trip with a focus on how the war changed art and artists. I hope you enjoy this visual
experience.
What you need:
Computer: with access to the Internet.
Pen
An open mind.
Let the trip begin!!!!!!!!!!
Visit this site to complete the virtual field trip: http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/visite.html (Art of
the First World War)
1. Start at the foreward:
Why has there been so little exhibition and study of the art
from World War I?
Why was the modern battlefield unfit for great paintings
compared to previous wars?
What new technique did artists use to portray the
battlefield?
Summarize the last paragraph.
2. War declared: How is Beckmann’s painting a great artistic document showing the
mixed emotions and feelings toward the declaration of war? What aspect of war was
Demonstrated by Kubin?
3. The Fighting Men
Choose any two painters and explain how their paintings reflect their experience in
the First World War.
4. The Battlefield
Note there are many pictures with this segment, please take some time to visit several as
they represent various styles and images of the war.
Choose any three paintings dealing with the battlefield and explain why you think
these paintings represent the battlefield in a unique way.
How did use of photography affect the “art of war?”
5. Artillery
How did the industrial revolution change the practice of artillery in World War I?
Compare the Nash paintings of the Western Front to that of Leroux. How are they
both similar and different? Why do you think such paintings of artillery were
created?
6. Total War
Define Total War
How do the images of total war show that World War I was different in both
scope and size from any war in history? (Cite specific paintings)
7. Suffering
View the paintings in this category and then choose two paintings that best show
the suffering that soldiers endured in the First World War.
8. Death
View the paintings that deal with death. How is death shown? (Cite several
different methods used and painting.
Death was a common theme of many painters during World War I. Explain why
You think it was dealt with in so many ways.
Why could Dix’s Triptychon Der Krieg (War Triptych) be considered the perfect World
War I painting?
8. Overview
What did you learn about the painting that occurred during World War I?
What style of painting did you find most appealing? Least appealing?