Artists' views of war offer differing perspectives

The Columbus Dispatch recently reviewed the current Denison Museum exhibits “The Art of War: John Lawrence Doyle’s Sharpshooters 76” and “The Great War: Illustrations by Jean-Louis Forain.”

The article, by Peter Tonguette noted: “The exhibits demonstrate how artists of different nations, eras and temperaments can diverge even when reckoning with the same subject.

“Doyle’s series — called “Sharpshooters 76” (a reference to America’s bicentennial in 1976) — offers head-to-toe portraits of American soldiers in vivid, rich colors.

“ ‘Continentals,’ for example, features two Revolutionary War soldiers standing side by side. The rough-hewn soldier on the right (clad in drab brown and sporting a full white beard) rests his arm on the shoulder of the soldier on the left (unshaven and looking worse for the wear, but donning a regal-blue uniform, tri-cornered hat and bayonet).

A different perspective is offered in “Civil Warriors,” in which fighters on opposite sides of the Civil War square off: The men point outsize guns at each other at point-blank range, although their facial features and expressions are so similar that some viewers might conclude that they are family members with different loyalties.