The Somme Front 1917

James McBey made this watercolor, called 'The Somme Front,' probably on site, during World War One. It's all about process, the way he's let the washes bleed into each other, creating this desolate landscape. The dominant colors are these muted blues and browns. It's like the earth and sky are both wounded, bleeding into each other. Look at the way he's suggested the mud and water, thin washes of color. The stark silhouettes of the broken trees punctuate the skyline. There's this one dark purple shape in the foreground, maybe a discarded object, that draws your eye. It's like a visual anchor in the chaos. It reminds me a little of some of Paul Nash's war landscapes, that same sense of bleakness and devastation. But McBey captures something very specific in the way he handles the watercolor. It feels raw and immediate, like a direct response to the horrors he witnessed.