French siege gun

Place Europe: France
Accession Number ART50040
Collection type Art
Measurement Framed: 48.3 x 120.2 cm x 6.4 cm; Unframed: 40.1 cm x 112.2 cm x 1.8 cm
Object type Painting
Physical description oil on canvas
Maker Streeton, Arthur
Place made United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London
Date made 1918
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Description

This is a French 340 mm Mle 1912 siege gun on a sliding mount, under a camouflaged tarpaulin. Three figures of soldiers standing on the mount show the scale and impressive size of the gun. Placing the gun in shadow throws it into bolder relief giving it a greater force and presence. Streeton's work shows how warfare changed in the First World War as a result of the introduction of comparatively sophisticated technology. By taking the gun as his subject Streeton managed to show how ordinary soldiers might have been overwhelmed by the power of these new machines.