Responding to World War I Part 2

http://formaementis.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/1919-treaty-of-versailles.jpg

In the Treaty of Versailles I think that the Germans got the short end of the stick. They, along with Russia, weren't invited to the conference. Germany got no say in what would happen. They got blamed for the war and were forced to pay roughly $32 billion in reparations. They had absolutely no way to pay that large of a sum of money. They were forced to rid themselves of their military defenses and were completely embarrassed by the other world powers. Let's face it, the U.S., England, France and Italy left the Germans out to dry. They didn't even start the war. Shouldn't Austria-Hungary be the ones forced to pay because they made the first declaration of war? No, we blame Germany because they wrote the "blank check" saying that they would stand behind Austria-Hungary. Germany was completely stabbed in the back. They were left out of a peace treaty. How can you make a peace treaty and leave out a country you are trying to make peace with? It makes absolutely no sense, the Big Four were not thinking very well. When the Treaty of Versailles was signed they weren't thinking about fairness or peace, they were thinking about how quickly they could get it done and how much money each country would come out with in the end. The Treaty of Versailles wasn't a treaty for peace it was a treaty for greed. I feel bad for Italy in all of this too; they switched sides because they were told they could win the "spoils of war", the only thing Italy came out with was that they didn't have a huge debt to pay like Germany did.

http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW1/images/wpvd724u.jpg

Flanders Field

http://mearsheimer.uchicago.edu/images/otto-dix-flanders.jpg

This piece of artwork is called "Flanders" by Otto Dix. Again I just can't get over his work, he really has captured a terrifying moment in his life and has shared it with the world. This artwork stuck out to me because I have to actually look to find the people in it, they fade in with the ground so well. One thing I've been racking my brain about with this piece is whether or not the men are dead or alive. I can see them being dead because they fade in with the ground, and with trench warfare one really did blend into the ground when they died. I think they are alive though because they appear to be huddling around each other for safety, warmth, or maybe the comfort of knowing that there are others going through the same thing.It looks like dawn might be breaking in the background, which is a lightness overcoming the dark. Maybe Otto Dix is seeing a hopeful image in this? One thing that this artwork reminded me of was a poem called "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae wrote this poem about WWI. He was inspired to write it because, like Otto Dix, he served in the war and his friend was killed in the war. This poem is meant to represent the battle fields that became graveyards. I associate this with the artwork by Otto Dix, not just because they share a similar title, but because they both represent the same thing; the horrors of war.

Poem Credit: http://www.english.emory.edu/LostPoets/McCrae.html

Snoopy vs The Red Baron: A Connection Across Time

Our first day working on notes for WWI we talked about Manfred Von Richthofen aka the Red Baron. As soon as the name Red Baron was said, the first thing that popped into my head was Snoopy vs. The Red Baron. Of all of the things with the Peanuts gang I would have to say the Red Baron is my favorite. Because of Snoopy I knew that the Red Baron was a top pilot during WWI. I find it amazing that a cartoon that everyone watches during every holiday known to man can almost glamorize something like the Red Baron. What started as a cartoon short eventually turned into a beloved Christmas song. Of all the times to be singing about a German pilot who killed eighty men, we chose Christmas. Snoopy vs. The Red Baron just goes to show how we deal with war. Instead of taking the gruesome paintings of Otto Dix to show what war is like, we look to the brighter side and make a family cartoon. I can't really say it's a bad thing though because I really do love Snoopy vs. The Red Baron. Below I have included the actual clip of Snoopy vs. The Red Baron and a video of the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNremK0cBEg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RKHq5b3oLI&feature=related

Disclaimer: I do not own Snoopy vs. The Red Baron clip or song

Paths of Glory

http://www.linesandcolors.com/images/2008-05/nevinson_450.jpg

This is an oil painting by C.R.W. Nevinson called "Paths of Glory". I have found that pretty much all of the artwork that comes up when I type "WWI Artwork" into my search-bar are about the horrors of war. There really isn't a single piece that shows any type of victory or glorious moment. Then again what else should I expect? War is a horrible thing and I couldn't even fathom what it is like for an everyday citizen to go out and experience these horrors for their country, where they don't even know one percent of the people who reside there. This painting like all of the others shows what it should, two soldiers whose lives have been taken because they are brave enough to go out and fight a war that isn't theirs, but their governments. I am willing to bet that these men were just barely in their twenties, and that makes this artwork all the more depressing. The title of this painting is "Paths of Glory", both of these men set out on a path to fight for their country hoping that it would maybe make them heroes when or if they came home. Sure these men are heroes, but they would never get to experience the joy on people's faces when the war was over. Is it really necessary to sacrifice so much for a simple four letter word? I think that the whole point Nevinson was making with this painting is that so many young men set out on their "Paths of Glory" only to not make it home.

Sturmtruppe geht unter Gas vor (Stormtroopers Advancing Under Gas)

http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/texte/021text.html

This piece of artwork is a print by Otto Dix called Sturmtruppe geht unter Gas vor (Stormtroopers Advancing Under Gas). There is something about the artwork that Otto Dix does that absolutely frightens me but I can't help but love it. He paints what he saw during the war, and the images seem so unreal. I can't imagine going out into No Man's Land and seeing nothing but death. The gas masks make it seem as though he wasn't at war with another human being, but at war with a monster. Something that really interested me about this print is something that I didn't notice on my own. I was reading a summary about the painting and it said that, "Dix chose to depict not enemy, but German soldiers." On further research I found that Otto Dix was a member of the German Army and that he was an enthusiastic volunteer to join. Dix made a print that represented war as an evil thing and he chose to portray the "gas monsters", as I like to call them, as German soldiers. Instead of making his comrades seem like these big war heroes he decided to depict the truth and the horrors that come with war. I admire him for his work, he is a brave man to recreate all of his darkest memories and on top of that not glorify his homeland.

Responding to WWI Part 1

http://dancutlermedicalart.com/AlbertEinstein%27sZionism/images/250%20pixels/1900-1919/1914%20June%2028%20gavriloPrincip%20shoots%20archduke%20ferdinand.jpg

One of the biggest things that amazes me about WWI is how it was so easily started. All it took was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914. The worst part, is that the attempt wasn't even really that successful. It took seven people to kill Franz Ferdinand; the first three chickened out, and the fourth one, Nedelko Cabrniovic, managed to throw a bomb at the Archduke's car but he missed and hit a neighboring car, he then managed to fail at killing himself with an expired cyanide capsule. Although Carbniovic failed, the explosion made his accomplices believe that he succeeded, and they went off to get a drink in celebration. Had Franz Ferdinand's driver not taken a wrong turn on their way to visit the victims of the bomb that was meant for himself, he may have never been assassinated. If it weren't for chance Gavrilo Princip wouldn't have seen the Archduke and shot him. I find it amazing that even though the assassins were doing a horrible job, they still managed to succeed. Because of this "blunder" a major war was started. I understand that a major leader was killed, but a war doesn't seem entirely necessary. In the U.S. we've had our fair share of leaders assassinated, granted by other U.S. citizens, but you don't see us starting another Civil War over it.