The Western Front: Paintings from the Land

Wartime Painting 1: The Second Battle of Ypres, 22 April 22 to 25 May, 1915, by Richard Jack

This painting depicts Canadian troops fighting on the Ypres Salient of Belgium at the Second Battle of Ypres in April of 1915. The Second Battle of Ypres was significant because it marked Canada’s first major engagement in the war. Canadian troops played a critical role in holding back enemy forces and received international recognition for their bravery and effectiveness in helping the allies win the battle [1].

Very few soldiers had cameras with them at Ypres. The lack of a visual record of the battle was a major factor that inspired Lord Beaverbrook to establish the War Memorials Fund. Beaverbrook's ultimate goal was to ensure that the experience of Canadian troops was visually depicted and preserved. As a result, Richard Jack’s Second Battle of Ypres became the first piece to be commissioned by the War Memorials Fund. Given the fact that Canada had not established the War Memorials Fund at the time of the Battle of Ypres, Richard Jack did not have the ability to witness the battle for himself. Instead, Jack had to paint in the aftermath of the Battle by relying on second-hand accounts in order to best capture the essence of the battle.

Jack’s depiction of the Second Battle of Ypres certainly captures the chaos and tragedy of war. Upon analysing the painting, one can imagine the sounds of war whether it be the firing of guns or the yelling of men. One particularly interesting detail is the yellow tones in the painting intended to depict the fog of chlorine gas. Unleashed by German forces, The Second Battle of Ypres marked the first time chlorine gas was used as a weapon of war. According to the accounts of soldiers who experienced its effects, the gas appeared in the form of yellow fog and caused the burning of the lungs and eyes of exposed soldiers. The gas led to the deaths of over 1000 unprotected allied soldiers. The yellow tones in Jack’s painting almost certainly allude to the horrific use of chlorine gas [2].

Wartime Painting 2: "Houses of Ypres" by A.Y. Jackson

A.Y. Jackson began his wartime experience in battle. When commissioned by the War Memorials Fund in 1917, Jackson stayed on the Western Front to paint the events he witnessed. The Fund helped to kickstart Jackson’s career before he became a member of Canada’s famous Group of Seven. Throughout the war, Jackson’s paintings almost always focused on wartime landscapes in order to highlight the destruction of villages and land. Jackson’s focus on landscapes and his tendency to omit people from his paintings echoed the style that the future Group of Seven would later adopt. 

In his autobiography, Jackson explained his justification for having artists on the battlefront by stating, “It is logical that artists should be a part of the organisation for total war, whether to provide inspiration, information or comment on the glory or stupidity of war” [3]. Jackson’s "Houses of Ypres" comments on the material destruction of war. Throughout WWI, European villages, neighbourhoods, and homes were demolished. Homes where families once dwelt were dwindled down to rubble. Any houses that remained standing were left with nothing but their skeletal framework.