Brutality Of War

One of my favorite pieces I've ever done, aesthetically and symbolically. It is a WWII scene in drab, almost monochromatic color, made to resemble an old photograph or film reel. I used actual photographs from the timeperiod for every detail, making stencils out of straight up photocopies for most of it. One of the ruined buildings is a coverup. We wanted to portray war in general as unromantically as possible, choosing only the most brutal and devestating elements. The nuclear blast is the only area in full color in order to give the highest impact to the most destructive weapon of all. One lone soldier runs terrified from it, through the dismal wasteland that our fighting has created. A very important message, given our current world situation. War and killing only ensures generations of future bloodshed...an eye for an eye will continue until we are all blind. When will we break the cycle?

By Nick Baxter