The Colour of War

Through the creation and sharing of art, the people who have fought, survived and returned from the many theatres of war are regularly remembered and often revered as heroes. Art is an open doorway used to recall the lasting impact of war without celebrating the brutality, pain, and loss of combat. 

Remembrance Day each year is an ideal opportunity to delve into the volumes of well known, and well-regarded art from different warfare. Moving the gaze away from the primary depictions of white European men in highly decorated uniforms, there are images that show that the colour of war, under the umbrella of the far-reaching British Empire, is far from monotone. 

More here: https://artuk.org/discover/stories/the-colour-of-war

Artists featured in this Curation: Desmond Doig (1921–1983), Robert M. Jones, Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928), Fordyce, William Menzies Coldstream (1908–1987), Edward Eugene Louis Mortelmans (1915–2008), Steve Joyce (b.1956), Marcel Watkins, Peter Milner (b.1951), Vereker Monteith Hamilton (1856–1931), and 46 more See all

72 artworks

Storyline Album Showcase

Rifleman Thaman Gurung (1924–1944), VC, 1st Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) c.1945
Desmond Doig (1921–1983)
Oil on canvas
H 57 x W 43 cm
National Army Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Army Museum
A Soldier of Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles on Duty in Kosovo
Robert M. Jones
Oil on canvas
H 74 x W 56 cm
Hart District Council

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Hart District Council
Subadar Major Judbhir Thapa, 2nd (Prince of Wales’s Own) Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment (The Sirmoor Rifles) 1893
Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)
Oil on canvas
H 60.1 x W 50.8 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Major Narbir Thupa 1964
Fordyce
Oil on wood
H 54 x W 45 cm
Royal Military Police Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Royal Military Police Museum
Havildar Kulbir Thapa, 2/3 Gurkha Regiment 1943
William Menzies Coldstream (1908–1987)
Oil on canvas
H 91.4 x W 71.7 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Image credit: Bridgeman Images
Sepoy (acting Naik, Later Jemadar) Nand Singh (1914–1947), 1st Battalion 11th Sikh Regiment, Winning the Victoria Cross at the Arakan, Burma, 12 March 1944 c.1948
Edward Eugene Louis Mortelmans (1915–2008)
Oil on canvas
H 42.2 x W 76 cm
National Army Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Army Museum
War Memorial for Sikh Soldiers 2019
Steve Joyce (b.1956) and Marcel Watkins (active 2019) and Peter Milner (b.1951)
Corten steel & granite

© the copyright holders. Image credit: Paul Francis / Art UK
Ganda Singh, a Sikh Chaprasi (messenger) of Colonel Wilmer's Topographical No. 14 Survey Party 1894
Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)
Oil on canvas
H 59.9 x W 50.8 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Gunga, a Hindu from Oudh and a Chaprasi (messenger) of No. 22 Astronomical Survey Party (of which Captain Sidney Burrard was in charge) 1894
Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)
Oil on canvas
H 59.3 x W 44.2 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Ganda Singh, a Sikh Chaprasi (messenger) of Colonel Wilmer’s Topographical No. 14 Survey Party 1894
Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)
Oil on canvas
H 62.6 x W 46.8 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Subadar Major Judbhir Thapa, 2nd (Prince of Wales’s Own) Gurkha (Rifle) Regiment (The Sirmoor Rifles) 1893
Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)
Oil on canvas
H 70.8 x W 50.8 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Maung Pe, a Chaprasi (messenger) in the Triangulation Survey Party 1892
Gertrude Ellen Burrard (1860–1928)
Oil on canvas
H 60.6 x W 46 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
The Storming of the Heights of Dargai 1905
Vereker Monteith Hamilton (1856–1931)
Oil on canvas
H 104 x W 136 cm
The Gordon Highlanders Museum

Image credit: The Gordon Highlanders Museum
Subadar Khudadad Khan (1888–1971), VC, 10th Baluch Regiment 1952
Henry Charles Bevan-Petman (1894–1980)
Oil on canvas
H 76.2 x W 69.8 cm
National Army Museum

© National Army Museum. Image credit: National Army Museum
Sepoy (later Subadar) Namdeo Jadhav (c.1922–1984), VC, 1st Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry c.1945
Marie Temple
Oil on canvas
H 71.2 x W 55.9 cm
National Army Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Army Museum
I Was There IV 2019
Barbara Walker (b.1964)
Pen & ink on tracing paper over digital print
H 49 x W 39 cm
Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

© the artist. Image credit: Barbara Walker
I Was There V 2019
Barbara Walker (b.1964)
Pen & ink on tracing paper over digital print
H 49 x W 39 cm
Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

© the artist. Image credit: Barbara Walker
Jemadar Abdul Hafiz (1925–1944), VC, 9th Jat Regiment, 1944 1965
Lesley Franklyn (b.1900)
Oil on canvas
H 51 x W 41 cm
National Army Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Army Museum
Sepoy Kamal Ram (1924–1982), VC, 8th Punjab Regiment 1944
Henry Marvell Carr (1894–1970)
Oil on canvas
H 90.1 x W 74.9 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Image credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)
Naik Yeshwant Ghadge (1921–1944), VC, 3rd Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry, c.1944 c.1945
Marie Temple
Oil on canvas
H 72.4 x W 55.8 cm
National Army Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Army Museum
Regimental Sergeant Major Sulimani, 3rd Battalion, King’s African Rifles c.1939
Dorothy King (active c.1939)
Oil on board
H 61 x W 40 cm
National Army Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Army Museum
Troops of the Royal West African Frontier Force in the Arakan, Burma, c.1944 1991
Hugh Ralph Micklem (1918–2009)
Oil on canvas
H 72 x W 92 cm
National Army Museum

© National Army Museum. Image credit: National Army Museum
A Jemadar of Indian Cavalry, 1938 c.1938
David S. Barrow (Major) (1911–1944)
Oil on canvas
H 56 x W 31 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Soldier of the King's African Rifles, Ceremonial Dress 1962
J. Gilson
Oil on canvas
H 53 x W 45 cm
The Royal Logistic Corps Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: The Royal Logistic Corps Museum
Askari, Corporal of the 5th Kings African Rifles 1963
Gaby Remnant
Oil on canvas
H 70 x W 55 cm
Cheshire Military Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Cheshire Military Museum
Sergeant Ali Jebba, Royal West African Frontier Force c.1945
unknown artist
Oil on canvas
H 76.5 x W 61.5 cm
National Army Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Army Museum
Captain Effendi Juma, 3rd Battalion, King’s African Rifles c.1939
Dorothy King (active c.1939)
Oil on board
H 41 x W 31 cm
National Army Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Army Museum
Piper, 42nd Deoli Regiment, c.1914 c.1914
unknown artist
Oil on canvas
H 86.5 x W 43.5 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
War Memorial Maquette 1922
John Tweed (1869–1933)
Bronze
The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum

Image credit: The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum
Major Mahomed Akbar Khan, Commanding Officer, 29 Mule Coy, Royal Indian Army Service Corps 1941
Henry Lamb (1883–1960)
Oil on canvas
H 60.9 x W 50.8 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Image credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)
Indian Army Wounded in Hospital in the Dome, Brighton c.1919
Douglas Fox-Pitt (1864–1922)
Oil on canvas
H 60.9 x W 50.8 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Image credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)
Indian Army Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, 2nd Regiment of Cavalry, Punjab Frontier Force, c.1863 c.1910
Charles Gordon Hayward (1886–1917)
Oil on canvas
H 127.6 x W 102.1 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Subadar Major Ganpat Rai Kohli, OBI, Royal Indian Army Service Corps c.1946
Samuel Tom
Oil on canvas
H 34.9 x W 24.4 cm
National Army Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Army Museum
Memorial Panel to British, Indian and Gurkha Soldiers in the Indian Army (1746–1947) 1971
John Stephen Skelton (1923–1999)
Marble
St Paul's Cathedral
Interior of the Pavilion, Brighton: Indian Army Wounded c.1917
Charles Henry Harrison Burleigh (1869–1956)
Oil on canvas
H 55.8 x W 45.7 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)

© the artist's estate. Image credit: IWM Art.IWM ART 116
Nigerian Orderly Sergeant 1949
Lash
Oil on board
H 50 x W 40 cm
Police Service of Northern Ireland

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Police Service of Northern Ireland
Havildar (later Honorary Captain) Gaje Ghale (1919–2000), VC, 2nd Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) 1943
Simon Elwes (1902–1975)
Oil on canvas
H 57.8 x W 46.4 cm
National Army Museum

© the artist's estate. Image credit: National Army Museum
Subedar-Major Musank Khan 1945
Leslie Cole (1910–1976)
Oil on canvas
H 67.3 x W 43.1 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Image credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)
Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington and Marcus Richard Fitzroy Thomas 1782
Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792)
Oil on canvas
H 236.2 x W 142.2 cm
Yale Center for British Art

Image credit: Yale Center for British Art
Italian Prisoners of War Working on the Land 1942
Michael Ford (1920–2005)
Oil on canvas
H 76.2 x W 91.4 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Image credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)
Tunumiu Woman* 1937
Eigil Knuth (1903–1996)
Plaster
H 44 x W 22 x D 23 cm
Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge
A Pathan Sowar, 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force) c.1908
Leila Kathleen Williamson (1859–1939)
Oil on canvas
H 55.5 x W 44.1 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
A Sergeant of a Cavalry Regiment c.1830
unknown artist
Oil on canvas
H 85.6 x W 65 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Kenyan Soldier
unknown artist
Bronze
Defence Academy of the United Kingdom

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Defence Academy of the United Kingdom
Captain Atal: Served at Keren, Eritrea 1941
Henry Marvell Carr (1894–1970)
Oil on canvas
H 111.7 x W 86.3 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Image credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)
Sudanese Guard 1953
Ralph Lillford (1932–2019)
Oil on canvas
H 60.96 x W 53.34 cm
National Army Museum

© the artist. Image credit: National Army Museum
Walter Tull (1883–1918) 2017
Richard Austin (b.1959)
Cold cast bronze
H 189 x W 79.5 x D 68 cm
West Northamptonshire Council

© the artist. Image credit: West Northamptonshire Council
A Sudanese Fighter 1886
Arthur von Ferraris (1856–1936)
Oil on canvas
H 35.2 x W 28.5 cm
Guernsey Museums and Galleries

Image credit: Guernsey Museums and Galleries
Jemadar Jangia Thapa, 5th Gurkha Regiment 1890
Frederick Swynnerton (1858–1918)
Oil on canvas
H 61.3 x W 50.8 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Rissaldar Mohubut Khan, Bahadur, 2nd Scinde Irregular Horse 1852
Alexander Sandor Svoboda (1826–1896)
Oil on canvas
H 33.3 x W 27.8 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
2nd Battalion 5th Gurkha Rifles at Ahnai Tangi, North-West Frontier, India, 14 January 1920 c.1920
Fred Roe (1864–1947)
Oil on canvas
H 55.9 x W 76.2 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Sowars of the 19th Regiment of Bengal Lancers in Afghanistan c.1880
unknown artist
Oil on canvas
H 143.8 x W 204.5 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
First World War: The Red Cross in the Trenches
Cyrus Cuneo (1879–1916)
Colour process print (oleograph?)
H 35.1 x W 21.6 cm
Wellcome Collection

Image credit: Wellcome Collection
A Sikh: Atma Singh 1943
John Leslie Berry (1920–2009)
Oil on canvas
H 76.2 x W 63.5 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Image credit: IWM (Imperial War Museums)
The colour of war and bravery in the 21st century - Johnson G Beharry VC
Johnson Gideon Beharry 2006
Emma Wesley (b.1979)
Acrylic on panel
H 80.4 x W 33.6 cm
National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London. Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, London
Rifleman Mangal Singh, 2/6 Rajput Rifles c.1943–1945
William Menzies Coldstream (1908–1987)
Oil on canvas
H 60.9 x W 48.2 cm
IWM (Imperial War Museums)

Image credit: Bridgeman Images
Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji (1918–2010) 2014
Douglas Jennings (b.1966)

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Tracy Jenkins / Art UK
1st Battalion Parachute Regiment, D Company, 12 Platoon, 3 Section
Phylis E. Fraser
Oil on canvas
H 84 x W 69 cm
Airborne Assault Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Airborne Assault Museum
A British Officer of a Madras Sepoy Battalion, Possibly Captain Mathias Calvert (1733–1779), Attended by a Young Sepoy or Servant c.1769
Christoph Adam Carl Freiherr von Imhoff (1734–1788)
Oil on canvas
H 75.9 x W 63.2 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Three Young Recruits of the Madras Infantry, Madras Light Cavalry and Madras Sappers and Miners 1899
unknown artist
Oil on canvas
H 49.5 x W 56.8 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
7th (Bengal) Mountain Battery Going into Action near Kaniguram, Waziristan, 1920 1984
Ralph N. Webber
Oil on canvas
H 51.2 x W 61.3 cm
National Army Museum

© National Army Museum. Image credit: National Army Museum
A Picket, 20th (Punjab) Regiment of (Bengal) Native Infantry, North-West Frontier c.1868
Walter Fane (Brevet General) (1828–1885)
Oil on canvas
H 45.6 x W 36.1 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
J. P. Sanders (d.1848), Indian Navy 19th C
British School
Oil on canvas
H 76.2 x W 63.5 cm
Royal Museums Greenwich

Image credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
General Lord Rawlinson of Trent (1864–1925), GCB, GCSI, GCVO, KCMG 1925
Oswald Hornby Joseph Birley (1880–1952)
Oil on canvas
H 152.4 x W 101 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar, Pretoria and Waterford (1832–1914), VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, c.1904 1917
Frank Markham Skipworth (1854–1929)
Oil on canvas
H 127.6 x W 102.2 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum
Naik Dilbahadur Rana, Orderly to Major Geoffrey Maycock of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) c.1946
Desmond Doig (1921–1983)
Oil on canvas
H 55.5 x W 41 cm
The Gurkha Museum

© the copyright holder. Image credit: The Gurkha Museum
Rifleman (Acting Naik, Later Subadar) Agansing Rai (1920–2000), VC, 2nd Battalion 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) c.1944
Desmond Doig (1921–1983)
Oil on canvas
H 57.2 x W 50.1 cm
National Army Museum
Sikh Memorial 2019
Jaydeep Apte (b.1985)
Indian bronze & Yorkshire stone
H 183 cm

© the copyright holder. Image credit: David Wright / Art UK
Indian Corps of Drums 1918
James Arthur Pownall (active 1893–1931)
Oil on canvas
H 59.4 x W 48.8 cm
Cheshire Military Museum

Image credit: Cheshire Military Museum
General Sir Charles Napier (1782–1853)
unknown artist
Oil on canvas
H 150 x W 98 cm
Cheshire Military Museum

Image credit: Cheshire Military Museum
Arthur Roberts (1897–1982) 2021
Chloe Cox (b.1997)
Oil on canvas
H 60.6 x W 50.2 cm
English Heritage, Berwick-Upon-Tweed Barracks and Main Guard

© the artist. Image credit: Historic England Archive
The Battle of Isandlwana, 22 January 1879 c.1885
Charles Edwin Fripp (1854–1906)
Oil on canvas
H 142.2 x W 223.2 cm
National Army Museum

Image credit: National Army Museum