Dead Germans in a Trench
| Dead Germans in a Trench | |
|---|---|
Sir William Orpen | |
| Year | 1918 |
| Type | oil painting |
| Dimensions | 91.4 cm × 76.2 cm (36.0 in × 30.0 in) |
| Location | Imperial War Museum, London, England |
Dead Germans in a Trench is a 1918 oil painting by Irish artist William Orpen, made during the First World War. It was inspired by the battlefield of the Battle of the Somme that Orpen had visited in 1917, and depicts the bodies of two dead German soldiers sinking into the mud at the bottom of a trench.[1]
The painting depicts two dead German soldiers, one lies on his back, with an agonised open-mouthed expression on his face and a clenched hand raised. The skin on the face and arms are painted in a blue-green colour, suggesting putrefaction and decomposition. The other, wearing a helmet, lies face down in the mud. In the background are the wooden wattle sides of the trench, supported by wooden planks, with white heaps of chalk spoil beyond, and a deep azure sky above. The bright colours contrast with the sombre subject matter. It measures 91.4 by 76.2 centimetres (36.0 in × 30.0 in).
It was first exhibited at
References
External links
- Dead Germans in a Trench, Imperial War Museum
- Sir William Orpen – The Official Artist of The First World War, Daily Art magazine, 7 February 2017
- "Petersburg, Va. Dead Confederate soldier, in trench beyond a section of chevaux-de-frise", Library of Congress
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