Imp War Museum Blog 2


    Image result for imperial war museum zero fighter                                                 Image result for imperial war museum baghdad car
                                                     

Our visit to the Imperial War Museum opened up my eyes to the resilience of the British people, and the devastation of war that they faced. Two artifacts that have stuck with me after my visit are the mangled car remains from Baghdad, and the Wreckage of a Japanese Zero Fighter Airplane. Their rusted remains make the history we have learned much more real, and remind me of the great struggle that Londoner’s and the rest of Britain faced together.
The museum artifacts are similar to the drawing, Gravy Salt Factory, Birmingham, by Vivian Pitchforth. This drawing depicts the wreckage of a factory after a German bombing. Such a depiction shouldn’t be thought of as just debris, but rather the remnants of a skeleton. The jagged metal bars almost seem as if they are a ribcage. The scattered debris not only represents the destruction of the Blitz, but makes one consider whether there are bodies buried under the rubble. This photo is only a mere glimpse into what life was like for Londoner’s during the time of the Blitz. The same can be thought when looking at both the car and plane remains. They are just a mere rusted skeleton of their original form, yet they carry a much stronger message. They embody death and destruction just like Vivian’s drawing did. You cannot help but think of who was in them at the time, and what happened to them. I also experience this sobering feeling when looking at the remanence of shrapnel marks around London’s buildings. Just like the metal museum remains and drawing, they act as both a reminder of evil, and resilience of the British people.

After leaving the Imperial War Museum, I now have a better understanding of what London and all of Britain had to go through during times of war. Vivian Pitchforth’s rendition of the Blitz encapsulates the seriousness of London’s condition. The museum artifacts put such a rendition in physical form, and will always serve as a reminder to the horrors of war.

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 1, 2019 at 2:23 PM

    I was also fascinated by the exhibit of the car that was completely destroyed due to the violence of the war. I agree with your comparison of this exhibit with the painting by Vivian Pitchforth. Both seem to capture the same idea of the wreckage that was faced during the second world war, especially during times of increased air strikes and the Blitz. I eluded to this in my blog as well and how I thought the car being decimated really captured the destruction faced around the world and how much of a impact it had. I too enjoyed the real life remains and artifacts because I felt that it gave a much more sensible touch and experience to the war for the audience of the museum.
    It is good to have realistic physical forms because I also agree that the reminders of war should not be forgotten due to the lasting impacts that they have a society as a whole as a result of the culminations.
    Overall I think you and I had a similar understanding of the artifacts and ended up taking away a few key themes. These themes being how destructive air strikes during the blitz were and the physical renditions of real artifacts from the war depicting the horrors and brutal destruction of war itself. You're comparisons between artworks and particular artifacts worked also worked well.

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