The landscape of war-William Greenberg

"Wire" depicts a barren landscape after a big battle in World War 1. One of the biggest principles of design at work here is the unity. Everything is dark and morbid and gives one the impression that the land is suffering because of war. The elements that are the most prominent are the lines of the branches, which seem to sag as if in defeat, and the dark and ominous colors.

In "Battle of Germany", Paul Nash depicts a war torn landscape in the midst of a battle. In the foreground, we see a peaceful city with what appears to be paratroopers. In the background, the moon illuminates the half of the city that isn't being shadowed by a pillar of smoke erupting from a recent attack. There is a massive explosion that is rocking part of the city. The elements that help reflect the theme of destruction are color and lines. The colors of the landscape are fair and flat while the explosions and smoke are more dark and vivid. The line that the smoke shadow leaves naturally draws the eye to the most devastating part of the painting.

Paul Nash painted "We are Making a New World" as a sort of jab to the unnecessary nature of war. The land is barren and desolate and acts as symbolism of the destruction from war. The elements of art that are most prevalent are the shapes of the hills, which almost look like headstones and the lines of the sun which shine through the destroyed trees, as if to say that a new world is being born out of the ashes of the old one.

"The Menin Road" was painted by Paul Nash and depicts a war torn patch of land that was considered one of the most dangerous locales in World War 1. The destruction of the landscape is reflected by the different colors of the rubble and destroyed trees and the smoke billowing in the background. The soldiers in the center of the painting shows movement through the barren battlefield as they pick their way across the destroyed field.

"Battle of Britain" was painted by Paul Nash and shows a fierce battle being waged above Britain. In the foreground we see a winding river that snakes out to a larger body of water. There are aircraft flying towards the fight and in the background you see the smoke from either a downed aircraft hitting the water or a ship that is sinking. The colors of the land are bright and vibrant and the exhaust trails left by the fighting aircraft in the sky weave into a brilliant pattern, showing movement. The opposite bank of the water is a dark, almost red color and might suggest that the land is scarred or bleeding from the incessant battles.

In "Oppy Wood", John Nash paints from his experiences as a front line soldier during World War 1. In this scene, a couple of soldiers look for enemy troops across a broken and barren landscape. The lines of trees are jagged and splintered and the shape of the ground shows many artillery holes. The grim and rugged battlefield is greatly contrasted by the piercing blue sky and numerous starts seen overhead.

"An Advanced Dressing Station in France" was painted by Henry Tonks, a former medic in World War 1. It shows a medical station being utilized in the ruins of a destroyed city. The colors of the people stand out and the bandaged and bleeding men are greatly detailed. The shapes of the buildings in the background are jagged and pointy. The dark sky above helps give the painting an ominous tone.

"The City: A fallen lift shaft" shows the ruin of an elevator after a big battle. The dark colors are contrasted by the bright glow of a fire in the background. The theme of destruction is prominent here as the winding rubble of a once tall building in London personifies the damage done to our environment as a result of war.

Colin Gill traveled back to France in order to refresh his memory about the terrible consequences of war. While there, he painted "Observation of Fire", which depicts an officer who is fixing the aim of artillery fire while in no mans land during World War 1. The lush green landscape is broken up in the background by what appears to be a plume of smoke rising out of the ground. Every tree is broken and splintered, which leads the audience to believe that a grueling battle has been taking place for quite some time.

"Blitzed Site" shows how the destruction of war effects everyone. This painting depicts people rummaging through a ransacked city during World War 2. The jaggedness of the wood protruding from every direction shows the extent of the damage and the dull, gloomy colors portray the feeling of absolute loss after the blitz. The shapes of the people, with lowered shoulders and bowed heads, helps show the audience just how much these people were effected by war.