C. R. W. Nevinson's Paths Of Glory

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Events and situations are always subjective of the source. Similar to how every story has different sides, there are different versions of every event. Although historians have verified the factual happenings of World War I, depending on the experience and perception of who the retelling of events comes from, the story of the war changes. Social constructs like government, class, and gender, heavily affect a person’s relationship with the war. One can identify the amount of involvement of social constructs like these in the works of World War I artists. World War I artist, C.R.W. Nevinson’s, famous war painting, Paths of Glory, reflects his copious war involvement and the perception from which he paints offers his appreciation of the heroism and courage at the lines of combat. C.R.W. Nevinson, son of radical journalist Henry Nevinson, and women’s right activist Margaret Nevinson “was the child of parents who had singularly noble ideas, who were markedly progressive and humane in their habit of thought” (Simkin 1). Since birth, Nevinson was surrounded by tendency to revolt against injustice, cruelty, and oppression. He was raised to be truthful about the world around…show more content…
War Office censor, Major A.N. Lee “promptly banned [Paths of Glory], reasoning that ‘representations of the dead have an ill effect at home’” (Slocombe 1). The government claimed “the image of the dead British soldiers would undermine the public morale at a time during the war when morale was at an all time low” (Slocombe 1). The presence of death and danger is escalated by the use of eerie, natural light. The recessive horizon line in the painting implies an untold number of dead beyond the limits of the canvas, and the barbed wire can be easily mistaken or interpreted as bones. Nevinson’s blatant representation of the war in his painting reveals his morals and beliefs of showcasing truth and exposing the reality regardless of public speculation or

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