Virtual Art Exhibition, War

Roy Lichtenstein, Whaam! (1963)

The construction for Whaam! is composed of acrylic and oil paint on a two-wide canvas, each measuring 68 x 83 inches (“Whaam!”). The left canvas shows a fighter jet firing a missile. The enemy aircraft fired on occupies the right-hand canvas and illustrates the onomatopoeic phrase, Whaam!, which reaffirms the action of explosive missile contact.

Lichtenstein studied art before serving in the United States Army during World War II and continued thereafter. After completing military service, his work focused heavily on the topics of romance and war (“Whaam!”).

The Vietnam War took place around the time of inception, and thus some argue the war lent inspiration for Whaam! (Collins 80). Meanwhile, others believe it is more representative of a personal war he struggled with at home (Collins 80).

Artwork I

Lichtenstein, Roy. Whaam! 1963, Tate Modern. “Roy Lichtenstein,” by Arthur Goodwin. Tate, Nov. 2018, www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lichtenstein-whaam-t00897. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.

Collins, Bradford R. “Modern Romance: Lichtenstein's Comic Book Paintings.” American Art, vol. 17, no. 2, 2003, pp. 61–85. JSTOR.

"Whaam!." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2019, 19:09 UTC, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaam! Accessed 14 Dec. 2019.

Frank Gaylord, The Korean War Veterans Memorial (1995)

This section of The Korean War Veterans Memorial contains nineteen stainless steel statues of soldiers approximately seven feet tall. Frank Gaylord sculpted the statues and then cast them in stainless steel by use of a foundry company out of Beacon, New York (“The Korean War”). This party is made up of fourteen Army, three Marine, one Navy and one Air Force member, all representing the diversity in the United States of America. The figures are separated by shiny slabs of granite to provide a visual aesthetic of servicemen crossing through rice paddies, represented by Juniper bushes (“The Korean War”).

The three year long Korean war brought vast devastation between 1950 and 1953. More than two million lives were lost with an additional two-and-a-half million wounded during this time. Nearly 54,000 Americans are among the deceased and more than 8,000 considered missing in action. (Deming 68) The memorial commemorates all those who put their lives on the line.

Artwork II

Gaylord, Frank. The Korean War Veterans Memorial: The Memorial. 1995. National Mall, Washington D.C. “Korean War Veterans Memorial,” Korean War Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, Inc, 2018, www.koreanwarvetsmemorial.org/the-memorial. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.

Deming, Angus. "The Remembered War: Visiting the New Memorial, A Korean War Vet Offers A History Lesson." Newsweek, Vol. 126, no. 6, 7 Aug. 1995, p. 68. Gale.

“The Korean War Veterans Memorial” Korean War Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, Inc, Jan. 2018. www.koreanwarvetsmemorial.org/the-memorial. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.

Alfred Eisenstaedt, V-J Day in Times Square (1945)

Alfred Eisenstaedt took this black and white photograph in 1945. It captures the moment when a Navy sailor kisses a nurse in Time Square, New York (“V-J Day In Times Square”). The significance behind this photo was the day he captured the image. This photo resulted from an impromptu civic festival celebrating victory over Japan following World War II (Hairman and Lucaites 123). The photograph celebrates more than victory; it celebrates the servicemen and women who won it (Hairman and Lucaites 123).

Artwork III

Hariman, Robert, and John Lucaites. “The Times Square Kiss: Iconic Photography and Civic Renewal in U.S. Public Culture.” The Journal of American History, vol. 94, no. 1, 2007, pp. 122–131. JSTOR, doi:10.2307/25094781.

"V-J Day in Times Square." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Foundation, 16 Dec. 2019, 21:58 UTC, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-J_Day_in_Times_Square Accessed 15 Dec. 2019.

Eisenstaedt, Alfred. V-J Day. 1945 “The Controversy Surrounding Alfred Eisenstaedt’s Iconic Photo of a V-J Day Kiss” by Kelsey Ables. Artsy, 25 Feb. 2019 https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-eva-hesse-artist. Accessed 15 Dec. 2019.

Burgess Collins, If All the World Were Paper and All the Water Sink (1962)

This 96.5 x 142.2 cm oil on canvas painting deserves more than a first-glance-view. Several of the individual images within this painting may be difficult to distinguish from each other without a clear definition. On the left side is a dark shadowy profile of a man who appears to be shuffling cards. With a closer look, viewers can see children joining hands in a circle. Above them is the appearance of an exploding mushroom cloud outlined by a blue Omega symbol (“Jess, If All the World” 01:25-01:55).

Collins studied as a chemist at the California Institute of Technology before being drafted by the Army Corp of Engineers. He later worked for the Manhattan Project, which is the organization that developed the technology behind the nuclear bomb (“Jess, If All the World” 01:25-01:55). At one-point, Collins had dreamed that the technology would be the cause of a nuclear apocalypse, so he quit his job and joined art school (Robinson 208). Collins' previous career choice appears to have influenced his artwork by contrasting the devastation of war with the wholesome sense of youthfulness.

Artwork IV

Collins, Burgess. If All the World Were Paper and the Water Sink. 1962. Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. “Jess (Burgess Franklin Collins), If All the World Were Paper and the Water Sink,” Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2017 Sept, https://art.famsf.org/jess-burgess-franklin-collins/if-all-world-were-paper-and-all-water-sink-199431. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.

“Jess, If all the World Were Paper and All the Water Sink.” Smarthistory, uploaded by Emma Acker and Dr. Beth Harris, 22 March 2019, https://smarthistory.org/seeing-america-2/jess-2/ Accessed 15 Dec. 2019.

Robinson, Katherine. "Worlds Out of Worlds: A Look2 Essay on Robert Duncan." Ploughshares, vol. 40, no. 2-3, 2014, pp. 199-213. Gale General OneFile.

James Rosenquist, F-111 (1964)

Rosenquist’s F-111 is a massive pop-culture artwork measuring ten feet tall and eighty-six feet wide (Geldzahler 279). It is a colorful creation made up of oil on canvas and offers viewers several visuals to observe. Objects within the work include items such as spaghetti, tires, a light bulb, and much more. The central most figure is that of the F-111 fighter jet and may provoke the question as to how these all relate to one another.

A voice-over for SmartHistory recounts the words of James Rosenquist, stating, “It felt to me like a plane flying through the flack of an economy.” (“James Rosenquist, F-111” 0:42-0:43) This statement provides an interesting perspective when considering that the production process for a war plane has benefited a local economy.

Artwork V

Rosenquist, James. F-111. 1964, Museum of Modern Art, New York. “James Rosenquist F-111 1964-65,” Museum of Modern Art, 2004, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79805. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.

Geldzahler, Henry. “James Rosenquist's F-111.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, vol. 26, no. 7, 1968, pp. 277–281. JSTOR, doi: 10.2307/3258334.

“James Rosenquist, F-111.” Smarthistory, uploaded by The Museum of Modern Art, 29 Jan 2019, https://smarthistory.org/james-rosenquist-f-111 Accessed 15 Dec. 2019.