Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
The Art of War
What can War Art and the work of Official War Artists tell us about the experience of the Great War and the landscape of the Western Front? We examine this through the work of three war artists: John Nash, CRW Nevinson, and Paul Nash.
RECOMMENDED READING:
THE WAR ART:
All examples are from the collection of the Imperial War Museum, London.
Imperial War Museum: Art of the First World War.
Cote 304, 2016:
15 Comments on “The Art of War”
Leave a reply to Dominic Cancel reply
Old Front Line 
Wonderful podcast, as usual; I really appreciate those that cover the peripheral features of the war. One request, though – could you also use Imperial measurements when describing the pictures? By the time I’ve converted it to feet & inches in my brain I’ve lost a minute of the podcast and have to re-wind.
Here’s to more wonderful and thoughtful podcasts from you in the New year.
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Paul,
Another great episode. Your listeners may also like to check out the art work from the Canadian artist group who were referred to as the Group of Seven. (A.Y. Jackson, Frederick Varley, Arthur Lismer, Richard Jack, and sculptor Walter Allward.)
Thanks again
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Hi Burke – deliberately didn’t mention them as I intend to do a seperate podcast on those artists down the line.
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Hi Paul, I really enjoyed this podcast despite my feeling it might not be my thing however, I was hooked by your description of the paintings and artists. I feel a trip to the IWM is in order! Cheers, Jon
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Thanks, John – and I hope you get a chance to visit IWM!
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Really thought provoking Paul. Paintings in such circumstances can convey emotions that photographs can’t always do. I particularly liked your analysis of “Over The Top”- at first this appears a peaceful scene reminiscent of Bruegel’s Hinters in the Snow, then the rawness is discovered. The kneeling man is especially haunting.
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Thank you, it’s nice to hear how much this art means to people.
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Great start to the New Year listening to this as I walk in the rain with my headphones on and get lost in the podcast. Ironically this is the one episode you need the OFL website to be able to look at the images while Pauls talking. Im probably going to have to finish this at home.
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Great episode Paul. I found this one rather emotional for some reason. Guess that’s the power of art! Happy new year!
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Thanks, Matt. I firmly believe art has the power to move!
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Thank you for another enjoyable and informative podcast. I have seen these paintings before in books and your narrative really enhanced my understanding. Thanks also for the backgrounds to the three artists.
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Thank you, Stephen.
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If you are feeling flush there is a print of Road from Arras to Bapaume for sale at Christie’s. Est. £12,000- £18,000
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Sadly out of my price range, Graham!
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Loved this episode, reminded me of an exhibit we saw in 2017 in Philadelphia. https://www.pafa.org/museum/exhibitions/world-war-i-american-art
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