Civil War Soldiers 1935 - 1942

George File painted these Civil War Soldiers with watercolor on paper. Look at the rhythmic way these figures stride across the picture plane! The blue uniforms, almost like repeated brushstrokes, create a visual melody. I can imagine File carefully layering each wash of color, building up the forms of the soldiers and their instruments. Each figure is slightly different, bearing its own weight and playing its own tune. I imagine File thinking about his place in time as he created them. Maybe he felt a connection to those soldiers. The way File simplified the shapes reminds me of early American folk art, but with his own individual twist. You can see this shared sensibility across time, with different artists adding their own unique voices. I think this is another way of seeing, of thinking, and feeling about history and how it reverberates in our present moment.