The Common Grave, from War: Mystical Images of War

This landscape of dead bodies fittingly concludes the series by addressing the unfortunate fate of so many soldiers. In this series, the angels serve as divine guides to lead forces into battle and meet the dead at the outcome. In 1914 this print could only anticipate the end of the war several years in the future. Still the image boldly asserts death as the great equalizer. Here angular limbs and uniforms crisscross in a chaotic shallow grave. The space is ringed with flying birds and arching mounds that might represent either the clouds of heaven or the landscape of bomb craters on Earth.