German official war artists were commissioned by the military to create artwork in the context of a specific war.[1]
Official war artists have been appointed by governments for information or propaganda purposes and to record events on the battlefield;[2] but there are many other types of artists depicting the subject or events of war. Meanwhile, military service and wartime experiences can significantly influence an artist's body of work. Artists like Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Dix and Max Beckmann, who served in World War I, saw their art profoundly affected by their frontline experiences, reflecting the harsh realities and emotional impacts of conflict in their subsequent works.
First World War
editThe German military supported soldier-artists during this conflict.[3]
Second World War
editAfter 1939, Luitpold Adam was the head of the German military's Division of Visual Arts, which would expand to include 80 soldier-artists.[3]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ McCloskey, Barbara. (2005). Artists of World War II, pp. 41-68.
- ^ National Archives (UK), "'The Art of War,' Learn About the Art."
- ^ a b c d e f g h McCloskey, p. 50.
- ^ McCloskey, p. 50; Yenne, William P. German War Art, 1939–1945.
- ^ Klee, Ernst: The Cultural Encyclopedia of the Third Reich – before and after 1945, S. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt 2007, S. 15, reprinted 2009. ISBN 3596171539
- ^ a b WW2Talk, German Official War Artists Archived 2010-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, citing German War Art 1939–45 by William Yenne.
References
edit- McCloskey, Barbara. (2005). Artists of World War II. Westport: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313321535; OCLC 475496457
- Yenne, William P. (1983). German War Art, 1939–1945. New York: Crescent Books. ISBN 9780517348468; OCLC 611620194
- Weber, John Paul (1979). The German War Artists. Columbia: The Cerberus Book Company. ISBN 978-0933590007; OCLC 5727293