Creating art when surrounded by war may seem contradictory, but inspiration can take many forms, providing a glimpse into a world that otherwise would be unfamiliar. Now at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, War Around Us: Soldier Artist Impressions captures the losses and triumphs of war through the eyes of those who lived it in a series of works never previously on exhibition. Although markedly different in their styles and subject choices, the featured artists—Jean Lefort, Curtiney George Foote, Charles Thatcher Shellabarger, Myron Chapin and Clifford Warner— demonstrate several ways one can capture wartime experiences.

For some of these soldier artists, a desire existed to create functions as a way to explore complex feelings, as shown in Foote’s seemingly celebratory portrayal of a victory parade and Shellabarger’s image of a French soldier’s grave. For others, art captures impressions of everyday life, such as letter writing, shoe shining and socializing.
“The images visitors can expect to see appear paradoxical at times, but the reality is that this is what war is like. There are moments of loss and despair, but also times of relief and celebration,” said Jonathan Casey, Director, Archives and Edward Jones Research Center. “Because they were also soldiers, the artists experienced these
competing emotions firsthand.”

Using the fields, villages and people who witnessed the devastation of World War I, the artists convey a shared understanding of the importance in depicting the look and feel of war. There are soldiers marching to the front, or advancing into battle and scenes of destruction, but also soldiers at rest, in quiet moments, civilians at work or
play and peaceful landscapes.

“It’s easy for us to forget World War I’s effects on societies given how historically and geographically separated we are from it,” Casey said. “In that way these images help advance the mission of the Museum and Memorial to remember, interpret and understand the Great War.”

These images make clear that the war was indiscriminate in its effects, devastating families, communities and ways of life. Despite this catastrophic event, they convey a shared humanity. A century after the war, this art retains its power as a testament to the experiences of those that lived it.

Presented by the National WWI Museum and Memorial, War Around Us: Soldier Artist Impressions is open until Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. To learn more, visit theworldwar.org.