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No. 8 "The End of War" [From 'The Great War: Britain's Efforts And Ideals shown in a series of lithographic prints: 'The Ideals' series]
No. 8 "The End of War" [From 'The Great War: Britain's Efforts And Ideals shown in a series of lithographic prints: 'The Ideals' series]

No. 8 "The End of War" [From 'The Great War: Britain's Efforts And Ideals shown in a series of lithographic prints: 'The Ideals' series]

Artist (1872 - 1949)
Date1917
MediumLithograph on paper
Dimensions41.9 x 57.8 cm
ClassificationsPrint
Credit LineCollection & image © Hugh Lane Gallery. Donated by the British Ministry of Information.
Object number463
DescriptionThis is a two colour planographic print (lithograph) on paper, and is part of a series entitled 'The Great War: Britain's Efforts And Ideals shown in a series of lithographic prints: 'The Ideals' series. There are a total of six lithographs in this particular series, and in total there are ten series. The lithographs are numbered as if the entire ten series are one, so this print is number 8.

This print depicts a soldier nailing a log to a wooden door, which has war written across it, there are also large rocks up against the door, keeping it closed; there is a broken drum in the left foreground, and red blood on the ground. In the background there is a statue reaching upwards with a bird flying over it, which may be a dove, representing peace.

Nicholson was an English painter, also known for his work as an illustrator and author of children's books.

Nicholson’s print shows a British soldier barricading a door with the word ‘War’ written across it. Around him we see a scene of bloody devastation. The print attempts to remind the weary British public of the reasons for which the seemingly interminable war was being fought. To the right there are the remains of a town which has been destroyed by the conflict. A graceful female statue atop a column reaches upwards and two birds, possibly doves – symbols of peace – come in to land on the figure’s outstretched arm. Nicholson’s service during the war was limited to a short period in the Artists’ Rifles but he did a good deal of work for war-related charities. Like countless others his family was directly affected by the hostilities and Nicholson’s own experiences may have contributed to the sombre mood of this image. His son, Anthony, was conscripted the year this print was made. Towards the end of the war tragedy struck – Nicholson’s wife, Mabel, caught influenza and died in July 1918 and in October the family learned that twenty-one-year-old Tony had died from wounds he had received in France. After the war Nicholson contributed a drawing to Reveille, a publication which was intended to help disabled soldiers and sailors re-adjust to civilian life. In spite of the horrors of the conflict young British men were, on the whole, willing to fight. Army discipline was, of course, an important factor in this but soldiers often had more personal reasons - a sense of duty to their country, animosity towards the enemy, religion or simply loyalty to comrades. Nicholson’s print does not glorify the war, however – the bloody foreground and ruined town suggest that peace will be won at great cost. There is an ambiguity about this image and it recalls the words of Ford Madox Ford who described the soldiers as being ‘impelled by an invisible moral force into a hell of fear that surely cannot have had a parallel in this world.’
Geoffrey Prendergast 2014
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