These paintings and watercolors, hundreds of which appear in color, are, therefore, gritty, realistic, and disturbing. For example, Tom Lea's oft-reproduced World War II canvases include The Price, a ghastly crimson of a marine shredded by artillery. American battle art, Chenoweth explains, which traces back to pictures of naval battles of the War of 1812, contains an imperative toward realism; nevertheless, the genre has not been immune to developments of the past 200 years. He includes as examples paintings by Edouard Manet and John Singer Sargent, while illustrating how abstraction has gained a foothold in many artists' styles, as in Kerr Eby's stark drawings of 1943's Battle of Tarawa. Hardly a glorification of war, Chenoweth's viscerally riveting album will be a popular addition to the military shelf.

: Great world conflicts have produced not only great military heroes but also great artists who have documented the heroism and the bloody battles. Spanning wars that have involved U.S. troops, this gallery of outstanding works of art ranges from majestic land, sea, and airscapes portraying all the branches of the armed services to closeups of hand-to-hand combat.

The paintings are more expressive than photographs because they compress many experiences into a single view. Charts and maps clarify particular scenes, and first-hand testimonies of the men and women who participated in the battles add an extra dimension. The many oversize reproductions highlight some of the most moving paintings and illustrations ever created in the field of combat art, most made available to the public for the first time. Listed at FIFTY DOLLARS.

 Friedman/Fairfax Publishing 1586633112 / 9781586633110
Hardcover Very Good Condition New York 

Price: 36.75 USD