Week Ten: The American Art Perspective Shift on War Through Vietnam
Hello, everyone. Today, I decided to showcase Mid Modern artwork created during the time of the Vietnam War. Vietnam sparked the first major war that was publicized to the American public, and much of the public realized they did not like what they saw. This includes many artist who criticized the war with pointed art pieces and outspoken anti-war sentiment. I have chosen six artist of the time, each with a very different approach to how they use their art to communicate their perspectives on the conflict. We shall start with...
Immolation
By Judy Chicago
Photographed in 1972 by American artist and famous feminism activist Judy Chicago, this photo was part of a series of photos depicting women draped in smoke in various dramatic ways. This one, however, is meant to parallel a specific photo from 1963. In one of the most famous pictures associated with the Vietnam War, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc, set himself on fire in protest of Pro-Catholic and American supported Vietnamese government at the time. This woman's pose and the smoke evoke similar imagery to that photograph. Another element is the color of the smoke, which may be a reference to "Agent Orange", an incredibly toxic herbicide used during the war that caused numerous health problems and birth defects to anyone exposed.
I chose this photo initially because I found the composition striking. I also enjoyed the contrasting colors, especially between the model's green-tinted skin with the bright orange of the smoke and fire on the very neutral beige of the background. There's also just something somber about this piece that draws you in, even without the context. Like this woman is caught in the middle of devastation, but instead of trying to run, she crosses her legs and remains.
Vietnam II
By Leon Golub
Painted in 1973 by American artist Leon Golub, this scene depicts a group of American soldiers on the left, and Vietnamese locals to the right. This painting is part of a series of painting meant to depict the horrors of the Vietnam War, and Golub was an vocal anti-war proponent. The American soldiers sit hunched behind an armored car with guns pointed at the horror-stricken and defensively positioned Vietnamese. Behind them sits the smoldering ruins of a building. The part that draws the eye the most is the young boy facing the viewer with his fearful expression, thus drawing the viewer into the action. Apparently, Golub sourced the poses from actual photos of the war from newspapers, thus adding further to it's authenticity.
The emotion and message this painting evokes is clear. The soldiers are cast in a villainous light and the entire piece gives off a sense of unease. The colors and the way Golub does his brushstrokes makes the whole painting feel grungy, dirty, and grimy. Which is appropriate for conveying the horrors of war. And the split in composition between the opposing sides really helps visualize the divide between the people and the Army, especially with the lack of background furthering that sense of isolation.
The Non-War Memorial
By Edward Kienholz
Created circa 1970-1972 by American artist Edward Kineholz, this installation piece depicts army surplus uniforms filled with sand laid on the ground in haphazard ways. Kineholz was a vehement opposer of the American military's involvement in the Vietnam War, and you can somewhat tell by the way these uniforms are strewn about like corpses left to rot. However, the original idea for this art was much more ambitious. Kineholz wanted to evoke that feeling of rotting corpses by filling 50,000 uniforms with slurred clay and leave them in a field. Over time, the clay would leak out and the uniforms would slowly decay until there was nothing left. The title thus being a fitting name for this idea, that there would be nothing left to memorialize, no war to aggrandize or remember, as it all washed away into the dirt.
I think what I like most about this piece is the message behind it. It is much more subtle in it's message than most of the artwork here, but you can still feel the intention. I especially find the original idea of leaving these uniforms until they fade as a metaphor for how we should treat war a very interesting idea. It represents moving on from the senseless violence and death of the past, and that resonates with me. However, the art that is here still seems to convey that feeling of pointless death with the limp bodies folded over and left on the ground for no one to bury.
Cleaning the Drapes
By Martha Rosler
Created circa 1967-1972 by American artist Martha Rosler, this photo-collage was part of a series called House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home. Constructed through the cutting out of newspapers, magazines, and advertisements, this series was meant to depict the dichotomy between the "masculine" nature of war and the "feminine" nature of housekeeping. Rosler wanted to cut the distance between the war in the media and the people in America, so she constructed these artworks to "bring the war home". This way, the war was a tangible thing that was at the forefront of the American mind, and not just that thing that's happening halfway across the world.
What I like about this piece specifically is the way the curtains drape makes it push that initial message further. It's as if the woman is pulling back the curtain to reveal to the viewer that the war is real and it's right outside. The use of color on the curtains to help separate the "outside" and the woman helps sell that illusion. Even the way she's posed looks like she's presenting you the Vietnam War in a great use of composition. I also feel that this is a wonderful example of how the collage used different elements, as the woman clearly looks cut out of an advertisement for a vacuum cleaner, while the photo of the soldiers looks like it was cut from a newspaper.
Saigon
By Peter Saul
Painted in 1967 by American artist Peter Saul, this borderline psychedelic piece may look fun and colorful at first glance, but may just be the most violent and dark depiction of the war in this blog. Frequently associated with Pop Art and Surrealism, Saul used bright colors and cartoony, balloon-like shapes to create an almost whimsical artwork. However, the subject matter is anything but, as the words on the left and right say, "White Boys Torturing and Raping the People of Saigon: High Class Edition". The main subject is the Vietnamese woman in the center with "Innocent Virgin" across her chest. Around her are her family being brutally tortured and maimed while Coca-Cola drinking soldiers commit the atrocities. And the one holding her captive is a headless three-star officer in blue, perhaps a high-ranking official, who's large tongue licks the woman's side.
This piece is chaotic and disturbing. The more you look at it, the more details you see that make you feel worse. And that emotional contrast with the bright colors and fun shapes is what is so interesting to me. That you have this horrible scene that is somehow not as bad as it seems and also enhanced in its horribleness because of it. One thing I really like is the use of color. It strikes a good balance between overwhelming and fun to look at, just teetering on that edge. It also does a good job at being a biting criticism of the war and the horrific things that occurred during it because of the U.S. Army.
Attack at Twilight
by Roger Blum
Painted in 1966 by American artist Roger Blum, this painting was part of an initiative called the Vietnam Combat Artist's Program. This program had the goal of using solider-artists to depict scenes from the war for military history, something that was inspired from WWII. Blum was part of the Combat Artist Team I, and this piece was inspired by the first time he saw a burning hut during his deployment. For anyone interested, I'd recommend looking at the gallery of all the different artwork produced under this program, it has some very good works (linked below).
I included this piece because I wanted to make sure perspective from all sides were accounted for. Rather than from someone who objects the war from home, this was painted by someone who was there. I especially like the dramatic lighting use in the painting, as well as the vibrant colors. The use of brush strokes really help give the painting a natural feeling, especially with the movement of the flames. You can almost feel the tension with the solider, as if you're crouching next to him and watching the fire.
That's all I have this week. I hope I was able to give you some perspective on what the art world was like around the time of the Vietnam war, and how they tried to influence the public at large. I also tried to give a wide variety of art styles and mediums, so I hope that came across as well. I wish you all a good rest of the week.
References:
Chicago, Judy. “Immolation, from the Portfolio ‘on Fire.’” Smithsonian American Art Museum, americanart.si.edu/artwork/immolation-portfolio-fire-113493. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
Kienholz, Edward. “Edward Kienholz: The Non-War Memorial.” Edward Kienholz | The Non-War Memorial | Whitney Museum of American Art, whitney.org/collection/works/18206. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
Rosler, Martha. “Cleaning the Drapes, from the Series House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, americanart.si.edu/artwork/cleaning-drapes-series-house-beautiful-bringing-war-home-117044. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
Saul, Peter. “Peter Saul: Saigon.” Peter Saul | Saigon | Whitney Museum of American Art, whitney.org/collection/works/1388. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
Tate. “‘Vietnam Ii’, Leon Golub, 1973.” Tate, 1 Jan. 1972, www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/golub-vietnam-ii-t13702.
“Vietnam Combat Artists Program.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Combat_Artists_Program.
Hey Eddie, I love how the works you chosen all show intriguing connective expressions with the Vietnam war specifically in the mid-modern era. For the " Attack at Twilight" I love how you explained in great detail how it depicts a scene from the war itself. The use of color tied in with the expressive brushstrokes help show that sense of natural environment and tension the soldiers were exposed to in the war. I would like to add how the contrast also brings a sense of eeriness, which helps highlight the unpredictable events that can happen in war. Thanks for sharing, great post!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog post! It's clear you did a lot of research on the topic and you were able to effectively communicate the different messages the artists were trying to get across.
ReplyDeleteI especially liked that you included a variety of art styles and mediums. It gives the reader a well-rounded perspective on how the Vietnam War impacted the art world.