Field of Death

Imagination and Memory By David D. Pearce

This little painting, like my Field of War, commemorates the Civil War battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia, where two of my great great grandfathers fought with Union forces. One was killed in battle, the other fought and survived. On my father’s side, Addison Cook died while defending his 1st PA Light Artillery pieces in the initial Confederate onslaught that morning of October 19, 1864. Addison was 30 and left behind a wife and four small children. One was my great-grandmother. On my mother’s side, Uranus Stacy fought in the 29th Maine Infantry, one of the XIX Corps units in the counterattack that ultimately won the battle for the Union side. After the war he returned to his home in Saco, Maine where he lived until his death in 1931 at age 86. On the left is a blue underpainting of fortified breastworks and a dead soldier, who lies where he fell amid scattered muskets and the detritus of battle. The trees are unnatural, ungraceful, screeches against the sky. Even the colors clash. In the center is a young soldier who will live, and on the right are the fields and farmlands of Virginia today. In the background, left, is Massanutten Mountain. Cedar Creek runs behind the trees and buildings on the right, toward the area of brightest light, where the creek joins the Shenandoah River. This painting is neither sentimental nor harmonious, deliberately so. It is a reminder that war is jarring, costly and grotesque, something we should never forget.

Purchasing Options

Giclee - Paper Prints
11 x 8" Hahnemühle Bamboo Base - Eco Paper
1" Extra Border Added
$42.00
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Giclee - Paper Prints
15 x 11" Hahnemühle Bamboo Base - Eco Paper
2" Extra Border Added
$87.00
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Metal - HD Metal Prints
20 x 15" Silver Matte
Inset Metallic Float Hanger
$318.00
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Framed Framed Giclee - Paper Prints
20 x 15" Hahnemühle Bamboo Base - Eco Paper
1/2" Extra Border Added
Frame: Vermont
Black Granite 1" (321724)
30 x 24"
Bottom Mat: Devonshire (A4906)
30 x 24" (window: 22 x 16)
Top Mat: Cotswald Grey (A4860)
30 x 24" (window: 23 x 17")
Glazing (Acrylic Glass): None
$363.80
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