This body of work seeks to display the emotional constructs and dehumanization of soldiers during the First World War. I have attempted to model a generalized identity for each image using a variety of specific roles of a soldier’s involvement to express this. All of which was done in light of conveying the unique aspects of the conflict that at the time, rightfully earned the title, “The War to End all Wars”. Stalemates in the trenches and necessity gave fruition to a backwards and barbaric warfare, yet also propelled technological advances making the Great War truly devastating and distinctive.

            The use of graphite for these works optimally allowed me to create a stark contrast highlighting the figure, as well as replicating the black and white nature of photos and film from the early 20th century. Furthermore, the subtle but visible texture of the heavyweight watercolor paper pushes these ideas further and adds to the nuance of each piece. The white background represents a perfect and pristine space, completely removing the individuals from the setting of which we may associate them with, shifting the emotional focus solely to the figure. I chose to create all renderings to depict the soldiers in a seated position. This brings unity to the body of work and displays a sense of distraught helplessness or aloneness in an effort to capture the viewers’ emotion. I have titled the separate works to correspond with a concept each figure could be equated to. This offers some kind of broad context to each piece, all of which directly apply to the body’s title: “THE GREAT WAR: Ghosts of the Trenches.”

Shown at the Black Hills State University Senior Art Exhibition. Later exhibited at the Art House Gallery in Hot Springs, SD.