Although Nevinson accepted Futurist principles, and was indeed author of the 'English Futurist Manifesto', he never agreed with its tenant, 'We glorify war, which for us is the only hygiene of the world'. In 'French Troops Resting' instead of reveling in this 'glory', Nevinson combines cubist and futurist techniques to portray man as a mere extension of the war machine and thus part of an impersonal and inglorious affair. After being appointed an official war artist in 1917, Nevinson's art gradually turned towards realism as he found cubo-futurist techniques wholly inadequate to accurately portray the true horrors of war.