With the H.E. guns, by Frederick Palmer 1915

Editor: This poster, “With the H.E. Guns, by Frederick Palmer, dates back to 1915. The palette seems restrained, almost muted. The officer has a very steely gaze, fixed on some distant point, though there are noticeable colour samples at the bottom edge, as if incomplete. What cultural memories does it bring to mind? Curator: The unwavering gaze is key, isn't it? It pulls the viewer into a psychological space of vigilance and anticipation. In iconographic terms, it speaks to the 'burden of responsibility'. The binoculars become a potent symbol, not just of sight, but of foresight and prescience. The very slight rendering, seemingly unfinished, adds to the feeling of being suspended and interrupted by the atrocities of WWI. What do you suppose the guns represent, in terms of cultural anxiety? Editor: I suppose the guns represent power and destruction. But what's most interesting to me is how they’re placed behind the man. He is given dominance in the composition; yet the "H.E." element in the poster's title foregrounds this presence nonetheless, as if an inherent tool. Curator: Exactly. The cultural anxiety is that technology and industry have placed humankind on the threshold of self-annihilation. Notice how the composition itself positions the individual at the perceived mercy of artillery. Editor: That makes a lot of sense, now. I was so caught up with this lone man figure that I barely acknowledged how menacing those gun could be considered at the time, from the public point of view. Curator: It is precisely this ambiguity that imbues the work with lasting resonance, then and now. An iconic work encapsulating the anxiety of its time. Editor: I see the artist, Edward Penfield, succeeded in reflecting anxieties within the viewer as a collective and lasting image in cultural memory. Thank you for opening my eyes.