The early 20th century was a challenging time for the world. With the two World Wars and a depression in the United States, artists had a lot to express in their work. As the years go on, the dark colors and textures used really give us an idea of what everyone was feeling and experiencing during these dark times. This gallery expresses the colors, people, and situations portrayed in paintings during this time.
Prisoners of War, Ladislav Mednyánszky, 1914 - 1918, From the collection of: Slovak National Gallery
This photo was created at the beginning of the World Wars. Nobody knew how serious the next few years were going to be, so the color isn't too dark. It has some vibrant colors which give it a sense of hope. Also, it's worth noting that all these prisoners have now is hope to be free again. The rough texture helps fit the intense tone of this situation.
Dead Germans in a Trench, Orpen, William (Sir) (RA), 1918, From the collection of: Imperial War Museums
This painting of two dead German soldiers has the perfect framing and color choice for the situation. This was done towards the end of the war. This piece is much darker and has a sense of loss, death, and war. There are no vibrant colors to make the photo feel hopeful of happy. The size and framing of the soldiers make them look smaller than the large and scary war zone that claimed their life.
Blind man in Belsen, Alan Moore, 1947, From the collection of: Australian War Memorial
This photos portrays and blind man in a Nazi Concentration camp located in northern Germany. This photo is very dark and has a lot of dark greens and greys which help the viewer feel the true horrors of the concentration camp. The colors in this painting are found in many World War paintings. People experienced the darkest days of their life in this photo. The color choice and texturing captures their experience very well.
Preparations for D-Day, Eurich, Richard Ernst (RA), 1944, From the collection of: Imperial War Museums
During World War 2, D-Day changed everything. This photo has a mixture of dark tones with some really saturated colors in some places. The bright reds and blues could possibly hint to Americas victory on this day. This photo is very wide, detailed, and busy to give the viewer an idea of how big this battle truly was.
The citadel, James GLEESON, 1945, From the collection of: National Gallery of Australia
This is a very abstract photo that represents the chaos of the world during this time. The face is very distorted and mixed up with the landscape. Not only do the disturbing faces make you feel the chaos, the dark tones and colors hint to the horrors the world has been going though during these two wars.
Blitzed Site, LS Lowry, 1942 - 1942, From the collection of: The Lowry
This is a beautiful painting done in the middle of World War 2. It depicts and man observing the destruction around him. This photo gives us an idea of how massive the destruction was during this time. The dark colors and tones in this photo are very consistent throughout many World War paintings. It helps capture the way everything looked and felt during these dark times.
D-Day Preparations (Briefings), Barnett Freedman, 1944, From the collection of: Ben Uri Gallery and Museum
This photo has very nice warm colors which makes it feel like early morning. It's much different than other paintings of these wars. Our focus is pulled right to the darkest character in the center of the frame. This man is clearly the general in charge. The rough texturing helps make the characters look uneasy as most of them should be nervous about the battle ahead.
South Side Easton, Walter Baum, ca. 1940, From the collection of: James A. Michener Art Museum
This piece shows civilian life in Pennsylvania during World War 2. This piece is fascinating because it uses many of the same colors and tones found in the paintings of war. This is because the dark emotions back then must have been felt world wide. Americans worked and struggled as they worried about their loved ones on the battlefield.
Meeting of the US President Franklin Delano Roosvelt and the Shah of Iran Mohammed Reza Pekhlevie, Alexander Gerasimov, 1944 - 1944, From the collection of: The Institute of Russian Realist Art (IRRA)
This photo captures a unique moment in history. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi meets President Franklin as this painted captures a nice candid moment. The colors are desaturated because these men are dealing with a war. They must be talking about Russia, their troops, or their loved ones fighting overseas.
Human Laundry, Belsen: April 1945, Zinkeisen, Doris Clare, April 1st 1945, From the collection of: Imperial War Museums
This photo is very abstract and powerful. It shows Red Cross woman helping soldiers at war in Europe. It does this by portraying them as skeletons because most of these guys end up dying or they end up loosing their old self and being changed forever.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
