Wednesday, February 24, 2021

The artists who outwitted the Nazis

 In the two World Wars, painters were deployed to create optical illusions. Matthew Wilson explores how a camouflage unit and a 'Ghost Army' used misdirection in deception operations that helped lead the Allies to victory.

 

 


When we think about artists working in wartime, we tend to imagine official war artists or the creators of propaganda. But what if artists, like the codebreakers of Bletchley Park, have been among the unsung heroes in the war effort – and crucial participants at the business end of conflict?

 

 

 

In the 20th Century, the epoch of "total war", everyone had to play their part: men and women; professional soldiers and civilians; people from all walks of life. The role that artists, art historians, archaeologists and other arts professionals played in the century's conflicts is yet to be fully told.

But the story of two military units from World War Two and their inspiration from artists working in World War One gives us a glimpse of how artists could become key players in warfare in the modern world. For the first time, they reframed the combat zone as an arena of creative strategy, making a literal "theatre" of war.

 

Long reading with photos  . Link 

 

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210223-the-artists-who-outwitted-the-nazis