Critical Research Journal

This is an interesting and substantial book displaying a vast amount of imagery that takes us on a journey through the Western Front (and other regions) of Battlefields of WW1. Whilst researching WW1 centenaries I can across this book from the website http://www.fieldsofbattle1418.org/photographer.html which covers the project extensively.

My project does not document the direct impact of the war, such as battlefields but I was interested to see how the artist deals with documenting the different environments and landscapes along the way. At first glance the imagery doesn’t seem to follow any kind of approach there is a mix of weather, time of day and angles that seem to jar my eye at first, in comparison to the sleek, consistent approach from Marc Wilson ‘The Last Stand’. However as I read through the book I was encapsulated on this journey through text and imagery that tells the history and memory of WW1.

There is a mix of imagery, I get a sense of a soldiers point of view from the low angles that emphasise the typography of the landscape. Imagery that mirrors the text as so the viewer can interpret the land with the artist’s vision. Stand alone imagery, that are grand, rich and beautiful. Aerial style imagery in which documents the land and perspective in relation to the point of interest. This approach works well as you flip through the pages of narratives, facts and beautiful imagery.

I watched an interview with Michael St Maur Sheil and he does indeed categorize his imagery, which he says as follows:

Imagery that has a deliberate design to illustrate the quote.

Imagery that is significant, the battlefields that need to be documented.

Imagery that is opportunistic from the fact of travelling/touring these places. (Sheil, 2009)

I can see why he has chosen to capture/present in this way as it works well with the text but also photographically documenting as he visits these places. Sheil does say in a interview when it comes to his visual approach “light is the important thing, one has got to go back and find the light which lends some kind of drama and meaning to the subject.”(Sheil, 2009)

Comparing this to my own work although I am not documenting landscapes that have been a direct impact of war which equates to loss of life but I still think it is important area that should be documented. These airfield sites were erected because of WW2 and whatever they mean to the local communities/personnel that served there, they are still hold a presence on the landscape. Which in turn keeps a  memory alive that can be linked to WW2. It shows a wider perspective of war and the larger population and landscapes that were affected.

References

BrianBasically (2009). Fields of Battle: 1914-1918 Michael St. Maur Sheil. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hMB_S-bqyQ [Accessed 9 Feb. 2019].

St. Maur Sheil, M. and Strachan, H. (2016). Fields of battle – lands of peace. Edition Lammerhuber.

http://www.fieldsofbattle1418.org/photographer.html

http://www.westernfrontphotography.com/international-exhibition/