WPA Era Painting of Soldier at War | 1940s Military Art

Here we have a 1940s painting of a soldier where the painter buried his head in his hands and let a shock of blond hair stand in for everything else. His steel helmet sits upturned at his boots, empty as a mess bowl. Behind him, barbed wire runs on crossed pickets under a sky stained red. Without a face he could be any man in any foxhole, which appears to be the point.

Hold it at arm's length and the paint has real tooth. Thick ridges ride the wire and the hair, enough to catch a raking light. A rifle leans at his right with what appears to be a ration can beside it. The red in the sky could be sunrise or a flare, and the canvas keeps that to itself. In 1946 the Army's own psychiatrists concluded that nobody ever gets used to combat. Whoever painted this seems to have reached the same conclusion without the paperwork. The tacks still bite after all these decades. Someone gets to be its next keeper.

This oil painting came out of a serious art collector’s estate in the Twin Cities. It is signed illegibly in lower left in dark blue paint. I have not identified the artist so we’re dealing with a mystery artist. 

The canvas is hand-tacked to stretcher bars stamped M. Grumbacher Inc., New York. Max Grumbacher, an Austrian immigrant, founded the company in New York City in 1903. Grumbacher moved its shipping to New Jersey in 1978, so a New York stamp generally points earlier. I date the painting circa 1944-1960 based on that stamp, the tacked edges and the soldier's kit. The green fatigues, laced boots and steel pot are consistent with American infantry of World War II. During World War II, roughly one casualty in four was attributed to combat fatigue. Whether the painter served is unknown.

The vintage war painting measures 30’ tall by 18” wide There is a white loss across at bottom center, just below the helmet. Fine craquelure covers most of the surface and runs heaviest through the figure. A short split or scratch appears in the dark sky near top center. Minor wear runs to surface grime, frayed tacking edges and a chip on the top stretcher bar. The stretcher holds firm with its corner keys in place. Please see all pics as they are part of the description.

I ship FedEx to street addresses in the continental USA only (no PO Boxes). Free shipping on the GI who needs some privacy.

He has held that pose for the better part of a century. Whoever takes him next inherits the quiet.