Mort Künstler’s Civil War art is known around the world and is prized by collectors. The South Carolina State Museum’s exhibit of his exquisite paintings, For Us the Living: The Civil War Art of Mort Künstler, has drawn praise and high interest among art enthusiasts and historians alike.
Interestingly, for all the expectations of battle and heroism the subject of the war conjures, Künstler as presented in this exhibit just as often goes for the smaller moments, the tender asides, the very human stories that counterbalance the often dehumanizing aspects of combat.
“Each painting tells a story,” said Curator of History JoAnn Zeise. “Sometimes that story concerns the chaos of epic battles; other times the story is intimate and personal.”
Pre-battle anxiety can be felt in the action of “Rendezvous with Destiny” as Union Gen. John Buford and his men gallop into Gettysburg, where he quickly ascertains that the area’s land is ideal for engaging the approaching Confederates.
A “charge that never was” is depicted in “Rush’s Lancers.” The 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment was given nine-foot wooden lances with steel blades on the advice of Gen. George McClellan until cavalry commander George Stoneman told the men to throw away the awkward and old-fashioned weapons in favor of modern firearms.
“The Gunner and the Colonel” portrays the full-scale combat of the Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C. in 1865, a bloody conflict that was “hand-to-hand for nearly six hours,” according to New York soldier Herman Clarke.As a contrast to these heart-pumping action scenes, Künstler turns his hand to moments of tenderness, kindness and calm.
Among the sweetest of these must be “Tender is the Heart.” The artist paints a private ceremony in Orange, Va., where on May 1, 1864, Gen. Robert E. Lee cradles Lucy Lee Hill, the infant daughter of corps commander A.P. Hill (and named for Lee himself), as she is baptized.
In “Especially for You,” Künstler presents a quiet gesture of gratitude among a tumult of rejoicing. As Stonewall Jackson’s troops march triumphantly through Winchester, Va. after having routed Union forces, a little girl holding a basket of fruit offers an apple to a young soldier as the townspeople cheer the marching column of boys in gray.
One of the most poignant scenes is “How Real Soldiers Live.” As Jackson, Lee and other officers enjoy a toast over a hot turkey dinner on Christmas 1862, a lone sentry stands his post in the freezing snow outside, looking longingly through the window at the comforts he can’t share.
“Christmas was a time when soldiers tried to put the stress and horror of war aside, even for a moment,”said Zeise. “And that is what Mr. Künstler captures so well, moments that help us understand the human stories of that terrible conflict.”
Künstler’s beautiful paintings demonstrate well that war is not all, or even mostly, battle, blood or glory. It’s life going on between the moments of conflict, and in For Us the Living, Künstler shows that life brilliantly.
“This special exhibit is only in Columbia for one more month, so I hope that everyone gets a chance to see these remarkable paintings from Mr. Künstler’s personal collection before they’re gone,” added Zeise. “We may be familiar with the images in books and in prints, but this is a rare opportunity to see each brushstroke up close and in person.”
The exhibit can be seen through April 7 in the fourth-floor Recent Acquisitions Gallery.