Janice Blake

World War II. The Pacific Arena through the artist's eye!

I have always been drawn to art works depicting battles and wars and marveled at how the artists were able to work under pressure to produce some amazing pieces. I have spent time at major art galleries reflecting on varies artists' abilities. That interest is what drew me to this title.
Of course with the advent of the camera, paintings and sketches were no longer the only medium recording historical moments of life at the front. If your an ordinary serving seaman you use what media you have available. Natale Bellantoni used them all. Watercolor paintings, sketches, photographs and other realia. His paintings very much have that aura of late forties Realism (And how can they not be one asks!)
I marveled at how this talented young painter, attendee of the Massachusetts School of Art, was able to produce such a special record of the times, places and the work of the Seebees in the 78th Construction Battalion in the Pacific arena during World War II.
Putting this all lovingly together, the blended artifacts, photographs, jotted notes, and records along with interesting vignettes detailing both ordinary and extraordinary shipboard and island events confronted, Nat's daughter Nancy, has produced not only a fascinating historical record but an important artifact from the Pacific War zone.
I was drawn to Nat's paintings. They have a lively clarity, with depth and action that gives pause. From life on board ship, to the tranquility of untouched islands, to the intrusion of the war machine and all its accouterments they are are more than just a vivid record, they are an aesthetic response to the world Nat found himself in. Sometimes Nat's paintings are peaceful and reflect the untouched landscapes of the various islands, but with others Nat "was determined to see and show clearly how war had trespassed ... The intrusions were jarring to the eye." And indeed some of them do jar. The large planes on island beaches show this clearly.
An evocative and insightful artistic remembrance of times we should never forget.

A Hoover Institution Press ARC via NetGalley… (mais)