Art beyond combat: Vietnam veterans showcased in new exhibit
By Joyce Hartless
Three artists who served in the Vietnam War bring their individual perspectives about the war and the country itself to an exhibition on display at the Canyon Community Center through Sept. 18.
Works included in the exhibit, titled “Vietnam Veterans: Art Beyond Combat,” show images of war, peace, and healing. Their creators served during a time of uncertainty, protest, and devastation, and each artist has a different perspective on returning to his life and resolving feelings of unrest. Art serves each of them in a different way, and each has a different story to tell.
Dan Maynard only started to take his art seriously after his wife encouraged him. Although he initially focused on the people and landscapes of the western U.S., he eventually began drawing scenes of the combat he experienced in Vietnam. When drawing those scenes, he said he can hear, see, and even taste the combat as he remembers it. His works don’t glorify or beautify the fighting but illustrate it in all its gritty realism.
Carl Purcell served as an interrogator for the Air Force, including a year in Vietnam. The fatalistic views of the North Vietnamese soldiers perplexed him, so when he returned home, he chose to focus on moving forward with his art and his life. His paintings of rural barns, sheds, and fences reflect the balance between future promises and forgotten dreams while a lifelong interest in geology allows him to not only see but hear the rhythms of the earth through centuries of strata.
John Steele, like many soldiers, documented his time in Vietnam through a camera. But only later in life did he begin to pursue photography as art, an interest sparked by wild horses. Eventually, he returned to Vietnam and during his four visits came to an understanding of the country as well as his own personal feelings about the war.
Articles related to “Art beyond combat: Vietnam veterans showcased in new exhibit”
Strut Your Mutt returns to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab
