No Man’s Land from the series History

David Levinthal, No Man's Land from the series History, 2014, inkjet print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr., 2017.41.25, © 2014, David Levinthal
Copied David Levinthal, No Man's Land from the series History, 2014, inkjet print, 17 × 22 in. (43.2 × 55.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr., 2017.41.25, © 2014, David Levinthal

Artwork Details

Title
No Man’s Land from the series History
Artist
Date
2014
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
17 × 22 in. (43.2 × 55.9 cm)
Copyright
© 2014, David Levinthal
Credit Line
Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr.
Mediums Description
inkjet print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior — military — battlefield
  • Object — weapon — gun
  • State of being — illness — wound
  • Dress — uniform — military uniform
  • Occupation — military — soldier
  • Figure group — male
Object Number
2017.41.25
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2017.41.25

Artwork Description

The term "no man's land" refers to the space between the trenches of opposing armies. During World War I, it was a place of death and desolation where millions of combatants lost their lives.The photograph illustrates one figure carrying another across a landscape strewn with barbed wire and debris. Levinthal's scene is a poignant reminder of the men and myths that died amid these wastelands. The unprecedented carnage of the Great War destroyed notions of military glory and noble sacrifice long associated with war, exposing instead its brutal reality.