The line-up …
Gassed, from 1919, is painted on a heroic scale – 611cm long – and the composition recalls the heroes of classical friezes, parading in a line.
Fallen idols …
Sargent seems to be drawing on this heroic tradition with both sincerity and dark irony. Far from the lance-wielding horsemen of Paolo Uccello’s Renaissance masterpiece The Battle of San Romano, which inspired the painting, these bandaged, limping young men are the modern age’s true heroes.
See the light …
At the same time, this vision of blighted youth is the polar opposite of art’s grand old notions of noble, glorious warfare. They are the blind leading the blind.
Everyday heroes …
In the background, a little scene where soldiers play football adds another jolt, suggesting that war is sport, the horrors are commonplace and these guys could be next.
About turn …
This painting is a standout in Sargent’s career, not just as a particularly chilling image of war. Made when he was 62, it was completely unexpected from an artist known for flattering portraits of the beau monde.
Included in Lest We Forget?, Imperial War Museum North, Manchester, to 24 February
