oil on stretched canvas16x20
I paid my first visit to the Gettysburg Battlefield this past Thursday. I had passed by it many times to visit my cousin, who lived nearby, but had never entered the grounds. I went there to paint with my fellow plein air painters, but I did not get much work done. Armed with my camera, I became a tourist and began snapping photo after photo.
It was a cloudy, chilly morning, which lent itself well to the somber setting. Many have told me what a beautiful, serene landscape the battlefield is, how peaceful and spiritual it is, worthy of deep respect and reverence. I felt all of these things and yet I also felt a profound sadness. With 600,00 dead, Americans fighting Americans, The Civil War to me is the saddest of wars.
After looking around, I settled on the Copse of Trees, learning about its significance later. The trees are aged, but still standing, protected and revered as living witnesses to the bloody, hand to hand violence that took place around them in July of 1863.
I decided not to place the old trees in a serene setting, but to depict them as writhing, agitated and bent over in pain. I used red in the sky and on the ground to symbolize the blood shed. This rendering, I feel, more closely represents my feelings about the Civil War and all wars.
3 comments:
I like the movement of the trees and your thought process!
I love your powerful vision and you have done this piece beautifully, Cecilia!
This is truly wonderful, Cecelia. Gettysburg is such a beautiful and serene place today - such a contrast to the loss and carnage that took place during those three days of battle. I am always astounded to hear how many lives were actually lost.
I had an interesting discussion with two men who were from England who visiting the battlefield the day we were there painting. Apparently Gettysburg re-enactments are a HIGE thing in the UK (one of the gentlemen was a re-enactor). He said that over 5,000 british soldiers participated at the Gettysburg Battle - something I did not know, and can not wait to research.
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