Horace Pippin's Achievements

In response to the war efforts of World War I, African Americans played a rather significant role in the fight for America. One African American whose passion played out not only on the battle field, yet on a canvas, was Horace Pippin. Pippin was a war veteran who lost his right arm by a shot fired from a sniper during the war. Although he lost the use of his arm, he did not allow this to hinder his creativity after World War I; he continued to paint. As many African Americans were forced, Pippin was sent overseas to serve in French units. This was due to the fact that American generals were discriminatory against the idea of African Americans serving in their units (Cardoza and Hume, p.381). Although this is true, the black soldiers were highly regarded by the French, which made for a harmonious collaboration. With this being said, I believe that it was Pippin's personal experiences in the war that made his artwork so true to the brutalities of World War I. Pippin absorbed the animosity around him, and from it he cultivated an outlet of raw artwork. Although it is not one of his more famous pieces, one piece that I truly admire is called Soldiers with Gas Masks in Trench. Drawn on a page of Pippin's diary, it not only documented observations,

yet told a story.
Soldiers with Gas Masks in Trench renders an unknown soldier pitted in a trench, with barbed wire lining the front. Just as this depicted solider, Pippin himself was subjected to the horrendous conditions of war. Being that the war became a central chapter of his life, I believe that he wanted to exemplify this in his diary illustrations. Many of his illustrations are now displayed in collections across various museums and colleges in the U.S. As an African American artist and soldier, I believe that Pippin felt the need to document and illustrate his experiences. He wanted to tell his own authentic story in his own way. This is evident with his diary: although he could not write very well, he used his artistic abilities to speak volumes without actually speaking. In this time period, African Americans did not have much of a voice. Even though some could not read nor write, they could see and feel. This enabled people to share their feelings, and foster a connection through the arts.
As a result of Pippin being adamant about telling his own authentic story (he created over 140 art pieces), there was not much optimism portrayed in his work.

In fact, much of what he created was not exaggerated in any way (whether positive or negative). It was rather very realistic. I believe that his piece, Soldiers with Gas Masks in Trench, exemplifies his art style perfectly. It was plainly drawn with no vibrant colors, giving insight on the meager war conditions. With this being said, I believe Pippin wanted to temporarily strip away the element of patriotism from the events of the war. He wanted to reveal to his audience the everyday reality of a war hero; the heroes without capes, depicted in the most simplified

form.