NY Historical Soc "WWI Beyond the Trenches" American Artists Call to Capture and Respond to War

The exhibit "WWI Beyond the Trenches" coincides with the 100th Anniversary of the ending of WWI (Nov 11 1918).  "The pen is mightier than the sword."*  This befitting gnome speaks to the wisdom & humanity of any form of communication used as a tool of communication other than brutality.  Tragically, an armistice is too often pushed aside for a call to arms.  This astonishing collection of artworks is stupefying.  Its omnipotent in confronting us with the horrors to humanity waged in times of war.  It also serves as a historic chronicle of WWI.   There may not be a singular cause to WWI, but technological & industrial buildup of weaponry had massively accelerated & alliances formed.  The carnage from WWI tolled 10,000,000 military personnel & 7,000,000 civilians.   WWI started July 7,'1914 - Nov 11, 1918.   The US didn't declare war on Germany until April of 1917.   It took until the spring of 1918 before US troops were aligned overseas.  The casualties to US soldiers was 116,000 US & 200,000 wounded.  President Wilson was elected in 1916 based heavily on his assurances the US would remain neutral.  The exhibit includes artifacts of the German sinking of the Lusitania in May,'1915 killing innocent civilians & the intercept of the Zimmerman telegram in early 2017 vowing German support to Mexico should they fight to reclaim TX, NM & AZ.  There are arguments to be made for the US having gotten involved earlier.  Among some of our highly regarded American artists in the exhibit who utilized their talents to indelibly imprint WWI into our conscience are:  John Sargent Singer, Man Ray, Georgia O'Keefe, Brice Marsden, George Bellows and Horace Pippin, Clagget Wilson, and John Curry.  Two of Wilson's paintings "Dance of Death" & "Symphony of Terror" depict bodies entwined in barbed wire in harrowing repose and explosive blasts putting you amongst the terrified wounded.  Bellows' horrifying painting "Teen Militant" is of German soldiers cutting the limbs off a boy & choke-holding a woman.    Pippin's painting of "Harlem Hell Fighters" signifies the segregated barracks for black troops.  A reminder of the men who fought & came back from war to battle racial persecution at home.  Singer known for his beautiful portraits also painted unforgettable scenes from WWI.  His masterpiece "Gassed" is a major driving force to see this momentous exhibit.  The painting is of soldiers writhing on the ground & a group of soldiers blinded by mustard gas, arms on the man in front, being led from the field.  This arresting painting attests to the atrocities of chemical warfare 1st used in WWI.  The color palette is in shades of amber, rust & mustard.  The painting seems to emit a dusty orange mist.  Curry's macabre & ghoulish painting "Allegory" has a parade of marching soldiers.  Their faces are skeletal. This nightmarish painting suggests the perpetual machination of wars.   Imagery imbues the mind & permeates the soul.             * Edward Bulwer-Lytton