When the thaw set in on the Somme, our artillery ploughs its way thro' mud and water to Gommecourt after 1914

This stereoscopic image from the Realistic Travels company shows artillery making their way through mud and water to Gommecourt. It's a study in grayscale, almost a complete absence of color. The surface of the print is matte, absorbing light rather than reflecting it, which adds to the somber mood, with all the different tones of brown and grey. Look at the way the mud seems to glisten despite the lack of light. Notice how the photographer captures the depth and density of the scene with subtle tonal variations. The horses and soldiers move through a morass of mud and water, their forms rendered with delicate precision. This image reminds me of the work of Gerhard Richter, particularly his grayscale paintings based on photographs. Like Richter, Realistic Travels invites us to reflect on the complex relationship between photography, memory, and the experience of war. What does it mean to realistically render the horrors of war, and how can art help us to make sense of such a difficult history?