Overview

The first global survey of art in WWII, this volume features selected biographies of artists and detailed discussions of war-era art worlds in China, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, Spain, and the United States. Readers can compare and contrast artists' experiences of war in these different countries. They will observe the artists' wide range of responses to war, from producing art works that actively supported the war effort, to criticism of death and destruction. Chapters begin with short synopses of the art worlds in each of these countries leading up to World War II. Following this are approximately five detailed biographies of selected artists whose works exhibited a wide range of responses to the war efforts of their nation. Their works cover a range of artistic styles, from traditional to modern, and demonstrate the blurred boundaries of art and propaganda during this period. The influence of their works on World War II and how their communities, and the world, responded to those works, gives readers a unique view on the powerful influence of art in war.

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9780313321535

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Reviews

"""Never has the story of World War II's artists been told with such breathtaking scope and clarity. McCloskey's gripping narrative will captivate students encountering this overlooked area of art history for the first time as well as historians and art historians well versed in the period. The unprecedented international reach of Artists and World War II provides a much needed synthesis of the scholarship on art production and politics under the extreme conditions of modern warfare."" - Keith Holz, Western Illinois University, author of Modern German Art for Thirties Paris, Prague, and London."""

Never has the story of World War II's artists been told with such breathtaking scope and clarity. McCloskey's gripping narrative will captivate students encountering this overlooked area of art history for the first time as well as historians and art historians well versed in the period. The unprecedented international reach of Artists and World War II provides a much needed synthesis of the scholarship on art production and politics under the extreme conditions of modern warfare. - Keith Holz, Western Illinois University, author of Modern German Art for Thirties Paris, Prague, and London.

[A]n excellent, thought-provoking art history. Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty researchers; general readers. - Choice [E]xplores the work of representative artists within the political and social contexts of their times...[t]he writing vividly demonstrates the impact of war on art. Additional aids to students include a brief timeline and selective bibliographies for art in each country. This survey makes a useful addition to art history collections. - Lawrence Looks At Books [T]he first global survey of art during the war, and gathers biographies of such artists along with discussions of war-era art trends around the world. Of particular note are discussions which allow readers to compare not only artists' experiences of war in different countries, but their different responses to their experiences, from support of war efforts to criticism. Add discussions of the influence of artists' productions on war and you have an intriguing survey which goes beyond the art world. - MBR Bookwatch [P]resents a survey of WWII artists from most of the regions involved in combat. - Reference & Research Book News/Art Book News Annual

Author Information

Barbara McCloskey is an associate professor of art history at the University of Pittsburg. She is the author of George Grosz and the Communist Party: Art and Radicalism in Crisis, 1918 to 1936.

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