Mid-Modern Art - Vietnam War
Mid-Modern Art - Vietnam War
The Vietnam War, starting in 1955 and lasting for twenty years, was a highly impactful war that affected the United States. The development of technology allowed the news about the battlefield, good or bad, to be more readily available to the public. This more public view of the war inspired many works of art.
Swamp Patrol – Roger Blum, 1966
Swam Patrol was an interesting piece of art made during the Vietnam Combat Art program depicting a unit patrolling the swamps. Something I like about the work is the use of cool and dark colors gives a feeling of tension to the work, especially considering that there was a real worry of booby traps. This tension is heightened by the feeling of insecurity with the use of thick and faded lines for the background trees, due to the lack of knowledge of what they hide. Finally, placing the soldiers farther back in the work is also a good use of spacing to show how the unit patrolled in a swampy environment.
Killed In Action – Burdell Moody, 1967
The painting Killed in Action is another work from the Combat Art program that I liked that depicts a unit bringing a dead comrade back to base. The indistinct lines of the environment give the feeling that the scene is portraying could have occurred anywhere. There is also an overall brown hue to the work gives a sorrowful feeling with the loss of the soldiers' comrade being portrayed. Finally, the viewpoint is close to the ground, making you feel like one of the casualties.
Unreal Realities – Ronald A. Wilson, 1967
Another work from the Combat Art program is Unreal Realities depicting a killed Vietnamese civilian killed by American troops. In the work, the placement of the dead civilian at the forefront of the work ends up emphasizing the reality that American troops caused many casualties. This, along with the use of contrast of positive and negative space, gives the nearer soldier the appearance of someone who killed the man out of hate and portrays the Americans in a bad light. There is also the use of white for most of the soldiers' appearance, showing the American perspective that they were in the right, even if in reality they were not.
The Jungle Column from the Combat art program depicts a line of soldiers carefully navigating through the jungle. In the work, the dark cool colors of the environment give the feeling of them leaving an area of danger, and when combined with the soldiers' posters, it gives the soldiers a calm but tense attitude. The column of soldiers being in a line that is both horizontal due to the alinement of their heads and diagonal due to where their legs disappear into the foliage gives the appearance of slow and steady movement. When looking at the work, the distinct shapes of the soldiers ends up bringing attention to them when compared to the indistinct environment.
The work Med Evacuation (93rd Evacuation) is the helicopter evacuation of a wounded soldier. The consistent use of green helps gives the area being painted an open feeling while also being in a mountainous region due to the lack of blue. This along with the positioning of the helicopter in the center emphasizes the need for air transport due to the restricting terrain. The rough texture and lines also create a feeling of not being fully conscious and possibly another casualty being brought in for evacuation.
The Mountain Climber Is a painting of a grounded helicopter equipped with a missile rack. The focus on the helicopter over the surroundings shows how important helicopters were to the soldiers on the ground due to their various roles in helping the troops. While the helicopter is on the ground the vertical lines give the work a feeling that thanks to it, we have air superiority, while the horizontal orientation of the helicopter makes it feel as if this advantage is not going away any time soon. Finally, the solid texture of the helicopter gives the vehicle gives a feeling of strength.
Citations
Buff, History. “Soldiers Created These Hauntingly Beautiful Paintings during the Vietnam War.” We Are The Mighty, 22 Oct. 2020, https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/soldiers-created-hauntingly-beautiful-paintings-vietnam-war/.
“Vietnam Combat Artists Program.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Aug. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Combat_Artists_Program.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThe Vietnam War is an important part of American history. The works that you presented in your exhibit all represent various aspects of the Vietnam War very well. I personally really like the painting "Killed in Action" by Burdell Moody. It makes me think about the mental struggles that the soldiers that fought in the war went through when carrying for their fallen comrades. I find it interesting that a lot of the art from the Vietnam War was very political. Many artists used their talents to protest the war.
Cotter, Holland. “Vietnam, through the Eyes of Artists.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Apr. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/arts/design/vietnam-war-american-art-review-smithsonian.html.