Man Without a Gun By Lawrence Beale Smith

This painting caught my eye because of the vivid colors and wonderful detail that it possessed. When looking at this picture, the facial expression of this soldier really stands out to me. His facial expression is hard to define, it is obviously not a happy one but it does not seem like he is sad either. He seems like he's been through a lot and has seen horrible things throughout this war. It is important to note that the title "Man Without a Gun" and the red cross symbols on his helmet and arm show that this soldier did not kill people on the battle field. Rather he did the opposite; he is a nurse and he tends to the injured. What is so important about this painting is that it portrays a man doing a job that is often overlooked in this war. It portrays those men who are not there to fight but rather to help the injured. The pile of boots to his left is a symbol of death to me. It shows that all of those soldiers have passed and their boots are stripped off and placed in a pile. To the right of him seems to be a pile of bloody towels. This is there because the man's job is to help the injured and he has to change the bloody gauze of the injured. Lastly, the background is a forest and in a way symbolizes how many is traveling into the unknown and disrupting the wilderness by fighting and killing. Smith does a good job of portraying a job that is very respected and yet often overlooked during a time of war.