Hauntingly Beautiful Art

It is amazing to see how much art was produced during the world wars, given that countries were so short on   money.  While people lined up at soup kitchens, the government still found the funds to hire official war artists.  These artists capture the trenches of World War I and the air battles of World War II.  They render the horror and the valour of war on canvas in a hauntingly beautiful way.  Here is some of their work.

1.  La Mitrailleuse (Christopher Nevinson, 1915)

Image courtesy http://tate.org.uk. 

2.  Belligerents (1914-1918)

Image courtesy http://pcccua.edu.

3.  Over the Top (John Nash, 1918)

Image courtesy http://en.wikipedia.org. 

4.  The Ypres Salient at Night (Paul Nash, 1918)

Image courtesy http://upload.wikimedia.org. 

5.  Gassed (John Singer Sargent, 1918)

Image courtesy http://farm4.static.flickr.com.

6.  A Battery Shelled (Percy Lewis, 1919)

Image courtesy http://silverandexactfiles.wordpress.com.

7.  We Are Making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Image courtesy www.bbc.co.uk. 

8.  On Wings and a Prayer (William Phillips, 1940)

Image courtesy http://air.webring.com.

9.  Siege of Leningrad (1941-1944)

Image courtesy http://subrealism.blogspot.ca. 

10.  The 2000 Yard Stare (Tom Lea, 1942)

Image courtesy http://bittennails.com. 

11.  Operation Tidal Wave (Nicolas Trudgeon, 1943)

  

Image courtesy http://picklyman.wordpress.com. 

12.  Unknown Title (Thomas Hart Benton, 1941-1943)

Image courtesy http://worldonline.media.clients.com.