| Show 1 Y I it tr I r. r j lW q L f. f of i I t l u. u r- r x 1 i. i i r f r ii t f I a UI 1 b 1 i jJ l ch h t c- c tl ng I S from Ik h I I I II j ze t. t 4 r First Official American Artist Arist S. S to Return from the Front Tells I C r 1 of the Tribulations of Art Alt f 1 In in the th e Field C ld ht h i h lyiA A f I h 1 r t Ir I r r 3 r R o S. S J. J J Woolf Who Has Brought Home War Art and Experiences 1 By Nina C. C Marbourg ar ours ours' back from the trenches Is S. S J. J Woolf the the- JUST first AIr Am American rican artist to have ha gone gone gono to the J zone zone painted his I Impressions of or the great struggle and brought back sketches in color pencil pencil pencil pen pen- cil and charcoal By Br special permission from the government Sir Dir Woolf was enabled to go abroad for the purpose purpose purpose pur pur- and result he is the first pose of painting as a n L L American who can tell ten one what it means 10 to paint paini under fire and also to be able to tell the enthusiastic spastic artist Just what the tho difference Is between painting In tho the trenches In No o Mans Man's Land an and sitting snug snugly at home in a nice studio letting I ones one's imagination run freely frech along war subjects t tt at t a safe distance from shrapneL JL Art Ammunition What at does an artist need In tho the trenches and what did I take with me queried back bacle b by Woolf turning from his easel where he was malting making a large painting from a 3 small sketch Well ell what I needed and what I took along are two yer very different different different dif dif- dif dif- ferent things Any An one ono with the Ule slightest experience ence in painting u under der such circumstances would have had a good laugh at my expense had they seen seen me start out but on this side no one was here to tell me so I had bad to make mako my big mistake I took with me a 3 nice bi big paint box that weighed about ten pounds dozens of nice clean panels to paint on pads pencils a palette brushes paints galore and when I come to think it over oer it Is a a. wonder that I didn't add an umbrella umbrella umbrella um um- brella and a 3 folding stool but at least these were two things that couldn't be laughed at because the they weren't along I r When II I first got to France Franco I went to one of ot otY Y the training camps and and spent nearly a month t there training with the boys hoys because I figured out t V that if I was permitted to go so to the trenches to toI I paint I 1 certainly could do no less than know enough about things to l keep out of tho the way y of tho the thor r fighters and bo ba of or some use too The rhe gas mask training was also necessary and so 50 I stayed thero there so some e weeks weel s. s and md while there here everything c went all One of Mr Woolf's Woofs Field Paintings 44 Bringing up a Big Big- Gun right with my painting painting- outfit de Painting about the camps and after that In the country back of or the trenches where I was billeted w was was s sall all right It was more or less like pain painting Un in l t. t the die ie country at home One day clay I received recel the glorious news that I could go up to the trenches and I was assigned to a motor to take me up Mind you ou I had m my myown myown own equipment for trench life and then on top of that about 50 pounds of painting materials and when I was finally In la that automobile there J Z t lJ r At a Red Red RedCross Cross Station was no room for any an- anone one else but the driver and aDd myself The materials of or art took up the thc rest of the space All of the time it had been The Wounded Wounded From From a French Drawing by Claude f t P. P i it y 9 r n t y I rl 5 t i P PJ r J v 1 t 11 F T sf i S 6 K I j r 1 I rig 4 S 4 7 e p pr r 1 t r I f. f A Y r A r I G. G f J I II II I I l f J 1 I t 6 f i r XIA 43 Ry ti tit gy ir 1 t raining and cold I had a good bood deal eal of trouble getting getling m my sketches dry and had left many of them behind in the places where I 1 had been until I returned That was fortunate for had 1 I at- at a The Gun One of the Sketches by Frank Brang Brangwyn Official Painter for forthe forthe forthe the British Government S tempted to carry them I f fancy we should have needed one of the th army trucks to carry the things Well Gell finally I arrived at the trenches in the Toul sector I never saw saws saw such mud in my life life life- water wafer water up to your our knees but when was It-was time for forthe forthe forthe the the- division ision to which I was assigned to move mo in in in I 1 went event with much of my materials strapped on my back and the big box of ten pounds under my arm ann Thirty minutes later I learned my mistake I couldn't put the box down because of the water I couldn't han hang it up Uil because there was no place to hang it it 21 Not ot only had I the other things strapped to me me but this under my arm I 1 couldn't open Olen it to paint because It was too large and believe believe be be- lieve me I felt pretty r much chagrined All da day r I toted that box with me ant and I said to myself When rii night ht comes there will be some somer rest r st st. I can put It some somo place Night ight came there was little or r no firing g and I was assigned to a du dug dug- out A good goot dugout it was too as I found out afterward in comparing it with some owe others My Iy sleeping place Ilace was on a piece of chicken en wire stretched over water about three feet deep Passing PassIng PassIng Pass- Pass Ing my hand under the wire I found myself just two fingers from the water Thero was no place to put that blooming box as others had to use this spring mattress as well so the only thing I could do was to put tho the box ox on top of or me So all night nightlong nightlong long there I laid on my back with a pound 10 box resting on m my stomach Did I sleep I certainly did slid You learn to sleep under any circumstances over there and in tho the morning I woke wolo up to find myself holding on to the box for dear life I spent two weeks with that box In the ille trenches Standing fire was as nothing compared to standing that Incubus It was the tho means of my nearly losing my life Ufe more than once I 1 made a u few few sketches tik ches in pencil Jn in the trenches and then in the early morning mornin and toward to night I would crawl cr wl out and work worl Twice rw ce when 1 I was over the thc toil top sketching the enemy be One of Mr Woolf's V Impressions of II Over the Top r ht Ats r a S r Ir X rw Ja i L' L Y 5 r ra r 55 F i Y r R r r J p rr r r Y r r yi AI ip r x s- s r 5 l r 1 h J v t 1 e 1 rr S r. r 91 t 14 fag f s Iri 4 d t Newspaper Service r. 1918 r I I when that begin begins be- be gan firing You lOU have to flop quick gins gin How could I flop with that elephant on my hands If I went down I had hall to hold tho box up nD to keepit l cep it dry So there was I down dawn In the mud I- I holding up a paint box for the enemy to see r Picture Burdens W When aern I did have ha the sketches finished I 1 could not put them anywhere to dry so took tool them back to a little house where I 1 had been When I arrived there after an absence of two weeks I found that the first sketches first sketches I had left were ere still wet The weather eather was miserably damp Thero There was a. a stove a great luxury in that house and so 50 I went ent late Into the kitchen itchen to put the sl sketches etches about to dry I 1 went out and the little French lad thought I guess that he would help When I came back bade I found he lie had placed several of them in the oven and I 1 I must say that I prefer raw to baked paintings Of ot course the they were all blistered and aud ruined mined I decided that I must free myself from the lie burden I was carrying about that I might do some real work so I went back to Paris losing time lime of or course and there got what I should have had at 1 first a paint box measuring four b by six inches weighing not more than two pounds and a a. rack that would hold a dozen wet sl sketches et hes giving them t em plenty of ot time to dry until I could get some place to leave leavo them for a time This box was was' as' as so 50 arranged ar art rouged ranged that a it could be slipped over my thumb and held and used a aP a palette too ap 1 1 In the Face of Danger You see sec with this this box I could stand Inthe In Inthe Inthe the trenches stick sUck my head up ever so 50 little litlIe take taken back J n n n pk- pk h t- t n t coo wl nh t I T od t d t tr nIt Ind dodge n pee ou U L see ce u na w aue v e l u and paint pain L I was do doing nS' nS this ono one day dar when one j of the tho boys came up and seemed interested in I was doing He lie began begali to talk about colors and values and I 1 instantly saw he lie knew something of art I 1 him about it and it developed de that h was a well weB known architect back home We became became became be be- came great friends and had many a good boad chin about pictures Ive I been painting and have ha been b cn hit In the hand At first I thought the hand was gone but Imade Imade I Imade it developed that it was only a nasty wound made back for Cor cover er co Ive I've tie slept In dugouts nearly filled with water using the rubber lubber coat that could have ha kept mo me a bit dry to wrap my paint box and rack in to keep m my pictures Ive I've had tho the world so O turned upside down do n by the tl e fire o ol of was impossible and the big guns that painting 10 had the tho horrible battle experience of ot baring bavin men me blown to 10 bits Ive I've helped h In fn am am- dressing stations Ive I've seen work worl and at German prisoners brought rought in glad to be out of orthe the fighting Now ow Im I'm back home again gain and anyone on this Eide side of the water who thinks drinks he has bas anything anything anYthing any ought to go to uw tM thing to complain about In life liCe front for tor a month Hed He'd never ne complain again Of course Mr Woolf is not nut the only man mani whO I- I has dono done work worl of this kind at the front but be only American to b have ve goa gone at t this writing tho there them and come home hurne Those who Imo 1 know of art wT will all readily call cal 1 to w f work of Frank Brans Bran mind somo some of tho the splendid Mr Ir raj wyn of or the Royal Academy tio t to commissioned by the British government for official record Iris His etching etching wor work of ot the un navy or it 1 of war The Gun made aboard a British man man of works to ha c come com one of or the strongest possible le p pout out of the war of or this kind went I the Up to to the front and into the trenches S. S W. W w. w p Claude A. A R R. J Jand artist British or of th tending the to depict b and his work worl was worn wor of ot this he produced six x Ix Pieces wounded Of or Station In fa F France Franceis nc Advanced Dressing and aud his is kown hewn to be decidedly r realistic |
