Lot Essay
Early in 1918 Munnings was commissioned by Paul Konody to go with a group of artists to France to illustrate typical scenes of Canada's war effort. He was attached to the Canadian Cavalry Brigade under the command of General Seely, later Lord Mottistone and sent to the Brigade's headquarters in Northern France, on the front line near the Omignon River called Small Foot Wood. Although Munnings was not intended to join in the front line, he remained here to paint the horses in action until the German offensive of March-April 1918.
Munnings received his order to return to London at the end of March, and he agreed to deliver some despatches to Paris for General Seely. Here he met two colonels from the Canadian Forestry Commission who invited him to see their lumberjacks at work in the forests of Dreux, Conches and Bellême, providing the Canadian Army with all the timber they would need to shelter the men and horses and advance across the muddy plains.
The paintings of the Canadian Army by the commissioned artists were exhibited at London, Burlington House, Canadian War Memorials' Exhibition in January 1919, and Munnings contributed forty-five of the three hundred and fifty paintings shown.
The present work is another version of a painting of the same title, in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada.
(see J. Goodman, What a Go! The Life of Alfred Munnings, London, 1988, pp.131-39).
Munnings received his order to return to London at the end of March, and he agreed to deliver some despatches to Paris for General Seely. Here he met two colonels from the Canadian Forestry Commission who invited him to see their lumberjacks at work in the forests of Dreux, Conches and Bellême, providing the Canadian Army with all the timber they would need to shelter the men and horses and advance across the muddy plains.
The paintings of the Canadian Army by the commissioned artists were exhibited at London, Burlington House, Canadian War Memorials' Exhibition in January 1919, and Munnings contributed forty-five of the three hundred and fifty paintings shown.
The present work is another version of a painting of the same title, in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada.
(see J. Goodman, What a Go! The Life of Alfred Munnings, London, 1988, pp.131-39).