The Art of War reveals feats of valour and gallantry
The Art of War reveals feats of valour and gallantry
19 May 2005
Churchill, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Eric Wilson. The latter name may not enjoy the world renown of these World War Two leaders but Britain´s oldest surviving Victoria Cross recipient, Eric Wilson, features alongside such historical figures in a new online exhibition entitled ´The Art of War´.
60 years on, original sketches and paintings from World War Two depicting the selfless courage of Victoria Cross (VC) and George Cross (GC) winners - alongside rarely seen concept propaganda posters and films - feature in a 250 strong showcase originally commissioned by the Ministry of Information. Images are free to view from The Art of War exhibition.
The exceptional quality of the artwork captures the valour of the VC and GC recipients, and this is reinforced through the citations reproduced on the website alongside the images. These citations, conferring the highest of military and civilian honours, specify precisely the acts of gallantry carried out in the face of adversity.
William Spencer, Military Specialist at The National Archives, said:
"The Art of War is not just an exhibition of images, it is a unique depiction of the Second World War. The Victoria Cross and George Cross recipients illustrated in the exhibition show to what extremes people will go and how, by their activities, events were changed."
Included in the exhibition is artwork by Terence Cuneo - whose statue stands in Waterloo station overlooking the Eurostar terminal - and concept propaganda from cartoonists such as Giles (Sunday Express) and Fougasse (Punch). Many of these images did not make it onto the billboards of Britain and remain relatively unknown to the public.
As well as downloading the artwork and the history behind it, online visitors to the exhibition can view propaganda film footage and send selected images to their mobile phone or as e-cards.
