A Street Behind the Front

War Department · 1918-04

Pen and watercolor drawing on paper. This detailed sketch of a street scene is unusually polished for J. Andre Smith's wartime art, using pen hatching to create textures and watercolor chiaroscuro to create depth. This work depicts American soldiers in a war-torn village behind the Western Front of World War I. The soldiers appear to be assisting with securing the shell-torn structures of the village. Light blue poles are installed along the facade of the the home in the background, preventing its collapse.