Art of War: Eyewitness U.S. Combat Art from the Revolution Through the 20th Century - Softcover

Chenoweth, H. Avery

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0760748284 ISBN 13: 9780760748282

Publisher: Barnes & Noble, 2003

Synopsis

Great works of art, inspired by conflict.Great world conflicts have produced not only great military heroes but also great artists who have documented the bravery, valor, and daring of the armed forces and the bloody anguish of battle. Here are the best of their works, oversized reproductions of the most moving paintings and illustrations ever created in the field of combat art. Encompassing the many wars that have involved U.S. troops, this gallery of outstanding images captures the fighting from every angle. The highly expressive paintings range from majestic land-, sea-, and airscapes, with all the branches of the armed services portrayed, to dramatic close-ups of hand-to-hand combat. Charts and maps clarify particular scenes, and first-hand testimonies of the men and women who participated in the battles add an extra dimension.

About this title

From Booklist

A U.S. Marine and an artist, the author has painted combat scenes of the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars, and here surveys the history of American war art. Chenoweth's criterion for reproducing a work is that the artist must have witnessed the depicted scene, a standard that excludes imagined images. These paintings and watercolors, hundreds of which appear in color, are, therefore, gritty, realistic, and disturbing. For example, Tom Lea's oft-reproduced World War II canvases include The Price, a ghastly crimson of a marine shredded by artillery. American battle art, Chenoweth explains, which traces back to pictures of naval battles of the War of 1812, contains an imperative toward realism; nevertheless, the genre has not been immune to developments of the past 200 years. He includes as examples paintings by Edouard Manet and John Singer Sargent, while illustrating how abstraction has gained a foothold in many artists' styles, as in Kerr Eby's stark drawings of 1943's Battle of Tarawa. Hardly a glorification of war, Chenoweth's viscerally riveting album will be a popular addition to the military shelf. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"This is an unparalleled collection from each branch of the American armed forces....this book demands the highest praise." -- Alan Caruba, editor, BookViews.com

Edition details

• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0760748284
• ISBN 13: 9780760748282
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384