Fortunino Matania
1881 - 1963
Matania's Romanticism
This is a rather unusual subject for Matania's Great War work, though the theme of showing pity and consideration for wounded soldiers was more than common enough. Though well meant, such scenes now appear to us to be unintentionally naive at best and condesceningdly insulting at worst. Nevertheless during the Great War such illustrations were published with the best of intentions. Artistic custom dictated that all the soldiers were invariably wounded in the arm (necessitating a heroic looking sling), the legs or at worst were bandaged around the eyes. Hardly a reflection of the true state of things.