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War Through an Artist’s Eyes Combat Artist Howard Brodie witnessed the stark reality of combat and drew what he saw.
Warfare History Network ^ | Summer 2023 | By Howard Brodie

Posted on 08/27/2026 8:46:34 AM PDT by artichokegrower

Newspaper artist Howard Brodie enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942, soon joining the combat artist program. He was sent by Yank magazine to capture his impressions of the war with a pencil during the Guadalcanal campaign and then the fighting in Europe. One observer of his work wrote, “By capturing emotions on the field with fluid lines and attention to detail, Brodie’s work is honest and at times, harrowing, but this honesty established him as one of the top news artists of his time.

In February 1945, he had been assigned by Yank to accompany K Company, 406th Regiment, 102nd Infantry “Ozark” Division, as they approached Germany’s Roer River. This is his report.

(Excerpt) Read more at warfarehistorynetwork.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: combat; death; epigraphyandlanguage; germany; godsgravesglyphs; howardbrodie; war

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Amazing story of a young American man. Contrast that with the young American “men” of today who cannot determine their proper pronoun.
1 posted on 08/27/2026 8:46:34 AM PDT by artichokegrower
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

2 posted on 08/27/2026 9:00:32 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (TDS -- it's not just for DNC shills anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: artichokegrower
Tom Lea was another fantastic WW2 artist.
3 posted on 08/27/2026 9:11:35 AM PDT by jmacusa ( Liberals. Too stupid to be idiots.)
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To: artichokegrower

4 posted on 08/27/2026 9:12:18 AM PDT by JZelle
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To: artichokegrower

Amazing drawings-—capture an enormous amount of emotion, factual data, etc. in a sketch.


5 posted on 08/27/2026 9:15:38 AM PDT by EinNYC
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To: JZelle

That’s a strange painting.


6 posted on 08/27/2026 9:21:09 AM PDT by ComputerGuy
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To: artichokegrower
Amazing story of a young American man. Contrast that with the young American “men” of today who cannot determine their proper pronoun.

That is not quite fair.

You are comparing the worse and the best of two different eras.

7 posted on 08/27/2026 9:21:33 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (I just want FReepers to READ THE ARTICLE. And then think 30 secs before pounding keyboard.)
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To: JZelle

Call my clueless... but I see nothing but a warped mind in that painting. nothing even resembling normal.

IMHO, you dont have to be a spaced out whack job to be considered an artist.


8 posted on 08/27/2026 9:25:01 AM PDT by sit-rep (I may be Dumb, but I'm not Stupid!)
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To: sit-rep; ComputerGuy

I know what movie y’all haven’t seen.


9 posted on 08/27/2026 9:26:55 AM PDT by real saxophonist (Hoplophobia will never be in the DSM, because the DSM is written by hoplophobes.)
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To: jmacusa

10 posted on 08/27/2026 9:30:31 AM PDT by real saxophonist (Hoplophobia will never be in the DSM, because the DSM is written by hoplophobes.)
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To: JZelle

I don’t understand your posting that unrelated to the topic illustration. Read the article and maybe you will overcome your dislike for the US military. Honor those who served, read the posted article, respect the heroism described


11 posted on 08/27/2026 9:35:07 AM PDT by artichokegrower
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To: real saxophonist

I understand servicemen who spent time on the islands in the Aleutian chain developed that stare.


12 posted on 08/27/2026 9:36:49 AM PDT by Maine Mariner
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To: artichokegrower

I know what movie you haven’t seen.


13 posted on 08/27/2026 9:40:24 AM PDT by real saxophonist (Hoplophobia will never be in the DSM, because the DSM is written by hoplophobes.)
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To: sit-rep
IMHO, you dont have to be a spaced out whack job to be considered an artist.

Try this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmN1c4nnj4M

It will clear things up.

14 posted on 08/27/2026 9:42:48 AM PDT by IYAS9YAS (There are two kinds of people: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.)
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To: IYAS9YAS

Oh, you spoiled the fun.


15 posted on 08/27/2026 9:44:58 AM PDT by real saxophonist (Hoplophobia will never be in the DSM, because the DSM is written by hoplophobes.)
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To: artichokegrower

True art is timeless and it is universally understood by a large number of people or a specific target audience.

A good artist somehow captures that feeling/mood of an event, the personality or character of a person, the beauty or ugliness of something, and conveys this in their art.

To do this well requires a lot more than just an exact rendering.

Example of where you can see this: Lots of people take hundreds of pictures with their digital cameras. I suspect most of us do. But the artist finds just the right elements that when all put together makes a statement, tells a story, or conveys a feeling, no explanation needed, it’s still felt 5 years from now, and most people feel the same thing.

A good artist somehow captures that feeling/mood of an event, the personality or character of a person, the beauty or ugliness of something, and conveys this in their art. To do this well requires a lot more than just an exact rendering.

Ever notice that a sketch or painting of a loved one, if done well, somehow says far more about this person than any picture taken by a high MP digital camera which gets all the colors just right and has low light capabilities? Why is that?

Somehow, the artist understood the subject, what was desired in the art work, and was able to bring this out.

We live in times where people with no talent, through self promotion and shock and awe, become celebrity artists. What is an artistic medium has become commercial mass produced junk. Or, lacking depth, it has really primitive appeal, which is sadly more telling about the audience than the artist. That is why today many younger people enjoy the music from an era before their time! There was true creativity, variety, feeling, and often lyrics which told a story - they desire “art.”

I believe Howard Brodie is an artist with his inspiration being WWII: https://artvee.com/artist/howard-brodie/


16 posted on 08/27/2026 10:26:57 AM PDT by Red6
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To: real saxophonist

I have got a copy of that book. Priceless.


17 posted on 08/27/2026 10:35:42 AM PDT by Retain Mike ( Sat Cong)
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To: sit-rep

That painting isn’t part of the collection highlighted by the article.


18 posted on 08/27/2026 10:39:23 AM PDT by GingisK
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To: JZelle

Surely, you can’t be serious!


19 posted on 08/27/2026 10:41:52 AM PDT by ConservaTexan (February 6, 1911/June 14, 1944)
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To: JZelle

Somehow I knew that was going to be posted!


20 posted on 08/27/2026 11:21:27 AM PDT by rlmorel (Factio Communistica Sinensis Delenda Est)
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