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War No. 8: Beachland
by
David Thompson
Jacob Lawrence painted the "War" series in the late forties, just after World War II. In particular, "War No. 8: Beachland" stands out. The war series was meant to show the different aspects of war and "War No. 8: Beachland" concentrated on the fear and confusion, the madness, of combat. Jacob Lawrence also purposely portrayed white soldiers and black soldiers fighting together and dying as equals.
In the background, the entire sky is an odd, creamy color because the soldiers are fighting in the early dawn or right into the night, and it is mixed with the smoke from explosions and machines going into the foray. The sky is followed by the image of a tank. The tank is not detailed, and it is mostly straight edges; it seems to never end as though it is part of the landscape. The soldiers have stopped seeing the tank as a tank, but as a common piece of the scenery in all the combat, they enter.
The viewer's attention immediately becomes transfixed onto the main ground. Here it shows a number of soldiers, both black and white, surging forward into the battle. They have their guns sticking out, with the bayonets fixed, ready to shoot or stab any of the enemy they may encounter. One soldier clutches a dull, red grenade in his hand, high in the air, ready to hurl the instrument of death at the enemy. The soldiers attack as though they are a single, writhing creature bent on victory. They all wear a common green uniform and a green helmet, all with the same rifle with a fixed bayonet. The viewer can almost hear the loud cracks of gunfire and shells exploding all around. He can smell the gunpowder and the horrible stench of the dead.
Out of the center of attention, however, is something surprising. Something to emphasize the madness of war. As the other soldiers all lunge forward with their weapons ready to kill, two medics carrying a badly wounded soldier back the way the soldiers going to fight came. The medics with the red crosses on their helmet, carrying the stretcher are not noticed right away, but they are one of the more important parts to the piece. The soldier on the stretcher, with one leg raised up at the knee, and one arm holding his wounds was one of those advancing soldiers mere minutes ago, before he met with the enemy.
Soon, some or even all of the advancing soldiers may become like the wounded one being carried to the rear. The wounded soldier may die before he can be helped, or he may die in the hospital. In addition, some of the advancing soldiers with their guns, bayonets, and grenades may die too. Their bodies will join with those already dead, on both sides, rotting in the blood soaked ground. They will appear pale as their blood is drained by a bullet and the viewer can almost hear their impending screams and an outburst of gunfire.
The battle scene depicted in "War No. 8: Beachland" by Jacob Lawrence most directly depicted a scene of American soldiers during World War II. However, the vivid horror of war that is portrayed could just as easily represent either side of any war in all of human history. While the people who fight the wars and the weapons they use may change as the years pass, one thing remains constant: War is madness.
Copyright (c) 2002 by David Thompson
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