---
title: "Art of Fine Gifts: Truth and Memory – British WWI Art"
description: WWI has created quite a few masterpieces of art, and the largest exhibition of WWI art is on display at the Imperial War Museum until early 2015.
image: https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/hs-fs/file-1595225665-jpg/images/gassed.jpg
---
- [Home](https://info.flametreepublishing.com/blog) |
- [ Contact & About Us](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/contact-us)
T H E F L A M E T R E E B L O G
# Visual & Decorative Arts Blog
# Art of Fine Gifts: Truth and Memory – British WWI Art
Posted by [Catherine Taylor](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/author/catherine-taylor)
- [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)
Being that the centennial anniversary of World War I is quickly approaching, many museums are creating exhibitions to honour the **globe-changing** event. The Imperial War Museum in particular has put together **the biggest exhibition of British First World War art in history**, and there are masterpieces of art that have made huge impacts in both of its sections: Truth and Memory.
### The Exhibition
Comprising of **over 120 artworks**, the exhibition features pieces by such well known artists as Paul Nash, Percy Wyndham Lewis and William Orpen, as well as lesser known, but just as significant, works by artists like Anna Airy, George Clausen and Gilbert Rogers. The first part of the exhibition is entitled 'Truth', as it features **pieces that were created by actual soldiers**. These works redefined the notion of what it was like to act as a fighter and even the grander idea of what exactly war was.
'Memory', or the second and final part of the exhibition, takes a look at British art during and after the war and how it impacted how we memorialize the war and how we recognize it today. The combination of these two types of art will make us reconsider and reinterpret WWI and its aftereffects.
### Truth
Paul Nash’s *We Are Making a New World* is more than a touch disturbing. The barren trees almost look like arms and hands that are **reaching, grasping for the rising sun**. The exceedingly rugged ground is reminiscent of **rows and rows of skulls**, making this whole scene look like a haunted graveyard. The dark red of the hills on the horizon is **evocative of the colour of blood**, making this barren landscape even darker.
He painted this piece in 1918, just after the 1917 Battle of Passchendaele, **'the blindest slaughter of a blind war'.** As a soldier, he was probably inspired by the massive amounts of bloodshed, and his goal probably became to spread awareness of the amount of death and blood that is involved in war, and that we should not glorify it.
### Memory
George Clausen, in contrast to Paul Nash, was in his 60s at the time of WWI. His piece *Youth Mourning*, painted in 1916, depicts a young woman mourning the death of all of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to the war effort. Clausen was inspired by the loss of his daughter’s fiancé, as he dedicated his life to the war and died in the process.
The **nakedness of the woman in the painting is startling**, especially because her skin is almost bright white against the darkness of the grass and the sky behind her. Clausen very much intended for this contrast, as he wanted to make a statement. **He wanted to make the impact of the war obvious** to everyone, not just the soldiers or people who were directly involved in it.
### Together
The reason why the **Imperial War Museum** has decided to show these artworks in one exhibition, but in these two separate parts, is to make their impact even greater than if they were shown right next to each other or completely separately. While Nash’s or Clausen’s work are impactful on their own, shown together, they allow for the viewer to get a greater idea of how the First World War affected everyone, **not just the soldiers or the everyday citizen**.
*If you want to see more First World War art in the form of posters, check out new 2015 art calendar in association with the Imperial war Museum (ISBN: 9781783610389) [on Amazon](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Imperial-Museum-Posters-calendar-Publishing/dp/1783610387/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410340060&sr=8-1&keywords=flame+tree+world+war+posters), or our *First World War Posters* book by Roaslind Ormiston (ISBN: 9780857758163) also [on Amazon](http://www.amazon.co.uk/First-World-Posters-Gary-Sheffield/dp/0857758160/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410340060&sr=8-2&keywords=flame+tree+world+war+posters)*.
This post was written by intern Taylor Steinberg.
All images taken from [iwm.org](http://www.iwm.org.uk/). [1](http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/23722) / [2](http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/20070) / [3](http://archive.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/95/collections/art/sir-george-clausen.html)
### Links
- For more information about the exhibition, click [here](http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london/truth-and-memory).
- For more of Paul Nash’s work, click [here](http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/paul-nash).
- For more of George Clausen's work, click [here](http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/george-clausen).
[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/293166/b59b6fa9-d55a-4cae-a5e5-1e535026c22b)
Topics: [Museums & Galleries](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/museums-galleries)
### Subscribe for email updates
### FREE Download
[](http://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/293166/284b0214-b58c-42d7-acb5-91f1fcd82c9c)
Download a digital magazine, Flame Tree Arts, with a special edition on **Art Deco.**
****
### About us
*The Art of Fine Gifts: *from luxury notebooks, foiled journals, art calendars, iphone cases, books and illustrated ebooks FLAME TREE Combines beautiful detail and exquisite craftsmanship across a range of elegant gifts.
### Stay up to date:
### Subscribe by Email
### Posts by category
- [abstract art (5)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/abstract-art)
- [abstract expressionism (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/abstract-expressionism)
- [advent calendars (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/advent-calendars)
- [Alphonse Mucha (5)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/alphonse-mucha)
- [American art (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/american-art)
- [art (11)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/art)
- [Art Calendars (37)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/art-calendars)
- [Art Deco (13)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/art-deco)
- [Art Made Easy (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/art-made-easy)
- [Art Movements (10)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/art-movements)
- [Art Nouveau (17)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/art-nouveau)
- [art of fine gifts (11)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/art-of-fine-gifts)
- [art submissions (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/art-submissions)
- [Arts and Crafts (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/arts-and-crafts)
- [Banksy (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/banksy)
- [bauhaus (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/bauhaus)
- [blog (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/blog)
- [Braque (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/braque)
- [british art (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/british-art)
- [byzantine art (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/byzantine-art)
- [Call For Submissions (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/call-for-submissions)
- [Charles Rennie Mackintosh (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/charles-rennie-mackintosh)
- [children's books (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/childrens-books)
- [Claude Monet (6)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/claude-monet)
- [comic books (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/comic-books)
- [Constructivism (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/constructivism)
- [Cubism (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/cubism)
- [diego rivera (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/diego-rivera)
- [digital art (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/digital-art)
- [Edgar Degas (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/edgar-degas)
- [Edvard Munch (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/edvard-munch)
- [Edward Hopper (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/edward-hopper)
- [egon schiele (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/egon-schiele)
- [English Heritage (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/english-heritage)
- [Erte (6)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/erte)
- [expressionism (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/expressionism)
- [fairy art (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/fairy-art)
- [flame tree art (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/flame-tree-art)
- [Flame Tree Calendars (18)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/flame-tree-calendars)
- [Flame Tree Diaries (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/flame-tree-diaries)
- [Flame Tree Journals (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/flame-tree-journals)
- [Flame Tree Notebooks (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/flame-tree-notebooks)
- [Flame Tree Press (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/flame-tree-press)
- [frida kahlo (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/frida-kahlo)
- [futurism (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/futurism)
- [gauguin (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/gauguin)
- [Gothic & Fantasy Art (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/gothic-fantasy-art)
- [gothic and fantasy (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/gothic-and-fantasy)
- [Gothic Fantasy (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/gothic-fantasy)
- [graphic art (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/graphic-art)
- [great wave (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/great-wave)
- [Gustav Klimt (10)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/gustav-klimt)
- [heath robinson (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/heath-robinson)
- [hiroshige (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/hiroshige)
- [Hokusai (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/hokusai)
- [how to paint (6)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/how-to-paint)
- [illuminated manuscripts (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/illuminated-manuscripts)
- [illustration (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/illustration)
- [Impressionism (7)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/impressionism)
- [J. M. W. Turner (8)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/j-m-w-turner)
- [Jackson Pollock (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/jackson-pollock)
- [Jacqueline Wilson (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/jacqueline-wilson)
- [Japanese Woodblock Prints (10)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/japanese-woodblock-prints)
- [john singer sargent (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/john-singer-sargent)
- [Josephine Wall (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/josephine-wall)
- [Kasimir Malevich (5)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/kasimir-malevich)
- [L.S. Lowry (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/l-s-lowry)
- [Leonardo da Vinci (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/leonardo-da-vinci)
- [LGBTQ (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/lgbtq)
- [Louis Comfort Tiffany (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/louis-comfort-tiffany)
- [Manga (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/manga)
- [Masterpieces of Art (43)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/masterpieces-of-art)
- [Masterworks (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/masterworks)
- [medieval art (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/medieval-art)
- [Michelangelo (5)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/michelangelo)
- [Miffy (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/miffy)
- [Modern Art (13)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/modern-art)
- [Moomins (6)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/moomins)
- [Museums & Galleries (19)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/museums-galleries)
- [neoclassicism (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/neoclassicism)
- [neoplasticism (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/neoplasticism)
- [Octavio Ocampo (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/octavio-ocampo)
- [Orphism (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/orphism)
- [painting (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/painting)
- [Painting Techniques (5)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/painting-techniques)
- [paul gauguin (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/paul-gauguin)
- [Paul Klee (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/paul-klee)
- [photography (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/photography)
- [Picasso (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/picasso)
- [Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/pierre-auguste-renoir)
- [Piet Mondrian (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/piet-mondrian)
- [pop art (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/pop-art)
- [Post-impressionism (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/post-impressionism)
- [pre-raphaelites (7)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/pre-raphaelites)
- [Propaganda Posters (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/propaganda-posters)
- [Purism (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/purism)
- [raymond loewy (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/raymond-loewy)
- [religious art (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/religious-art)
- [renaissance art (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/renaissance-art)
- [romanticism (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/romanticism)
- [Royal Academy of Arts (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/royal-academy-of-arts)
- [Royal Shakespeare Company (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/royal-shakespeare-company)
- [salvador dali (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/salvador-dali)
- [sf and fantasy (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/sf-and-fantasy)
- [sketch books (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/sketch-books)
- [street art (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/street-art)
- [submissions (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/submissions)
- [Suprematism (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/suprematism)
- [surrealism (5)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/surrealism)
- [Tamara de Lempicka (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/tamara-de-lempicka)
- [tempera (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/tempera)
- [the many facets of... (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/the-many-facets-of)
- [Tove Jansson (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/tove-jansson)
- [Tove Tansson (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/tove-tansson)
- [USA (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/usa)
- [Van Gogh Through His Own Words (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/van-gogh-through-his-own-words)
- [Viennese Secession (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/viennese-secession)
- [Vincent van Gogh (12)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/vincent-van-gogh)
- [visual arts (3)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/visual-arts)
- [Wassily Kandinsky (6)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/wassily-kandinsky)
- [water lilies (1)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/water-lilies)
- [William Blake (2)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/william-blake)
- [William Morris (4)](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/topic/william-morris)
- [Home](http://classic-migration-sandbox-293166.hs-sites.com/) | [Flame Tree Fiction](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic) | [Gift](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts) | [Podcast](https://lnk.bio/flametreepodcast) |
- [Music](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/classic-rock-bands) |
- [Lifestyle](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/simple-recipes) |
- [Links](https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/links/)
© 2025 FLAME TREE PUBLISHING LTD. [flametreepublishing.com](https://flametreepublishing.com)