Portraits of Remembrance

“The editors deliver on the promise that ‘behind any commemorative artifact one will inevitably discover controversy (for such is the nature of collective memory)—and a good story.’ The paintings selected are not necessarily the most famous of the period but instead convey the larger intent of illustrating the elements that make a work of art an iconic memory. . . . For experts and novices alike, Portraits of Remembrance will deepen an appreciation of war art and remind the viewer of the power that images can have on our memories well after the event itself. The thoughtful introduction broadens its accessibility beyond art scholars and the format is also suited to the reader who wants to jump around as each essay stands on its own. It is also a thought-provoking aid for military museum guides, and anyone involved with commissioning commemorative art.”
— Military Review

“Portraits of Remembrance is a welcome addition to scholarship on commemoration and memory of the First World War.”
—Pearl James, author of The New Death: American Modernism and World War I
 

“This collection of 14 essays analyzes the role of painting in commemorating WW I and distills how memory and identity anchor collective understandings of wartime from a century ago. Together, the chapters discuss the creation, context, reception, and exhibition histories of paintings that captured the experience of soldiers foremost, as well as those who made sacrifices or who witnessed the aftermath of the war. Such dramatic and realistic visual depictions garnered emotional responses from veterans and those associated with, but not engaged in, wartime activity. With case studies analyzing war remembrances in 12 nations and their ties to literature, context, and meaning, this volume will be of interest to those broadly researching WW I, as well as memory studies and early 20th-century history and art history. Recommended”
—CHOICE