Forgotten Soldiers

Artist: William Howley, Acrylic, 36"x24", available

At first glance the colors are pretty and the cross gives people a happy feeling but as one begins to understand the meaning they realize its gruesome potential. This painting by artist William Howley is dedicated to the thousands of soldiers that have died in combat around the world. As time goes on many of these soldiers are forgotten and are only represented by a cross, Their stories gone with the wind. Among their thousands of fallen comrades they lay there existences futile. The figure in the center is a soldier who is looking up to one cross in particular, possibly an old friend. He is purposely smaller than the cross and thus less significant than his friend bowes down too. The light resembles that of a new dawn, and means that this solder has watched the sun rise over the graveyard the entire night.