The Two Thousand Yard Stare: Tom Lea's World War II (Texas A&M University Military History Series)
Product ID: 55354557
Few artists saw World War II from as many perspectives as El Paso artist and writer Tom Lea. Commissioned by ""Life"" magazine to paint the war as it was being experienced by U.S. and Allied troops, Lea went aboard a Navy destroyer in the North Atlantic to cover the fight against the German U-boats in late 1941; was on the carrier Hornet days before its sinking during the desperate air and sea battles off Guadalcanal in 1942; recorded the struggles of Army Air Forces transport, fighter, and bomber crews in England, North Africa, and China in 1943; and hit the bloody beaches at Peleliu with the assault waves of the 7th Marines in 1944. He was preparing to join forces poised to invade the home islands when the Japanese surrendered in 1945.In ""The Two Thousand Yard Stare"", Brendan M. Greeley Jr. has collected virtually all of Tom Lea's firsthand written accounts of his assignments for ""Life"", including a previously unpublished diary and letters to fellow Texas writer J. Frank Dobie, along with Lea's powerful sketches and unforgettable paintings. Greeley places them in context, along with photographs and informative details on the people, places, and wartime events encountered by Tom Lea.Thoroughly documented and filled with telling illustrations, this book will leave a stunning impression on those interested in the realistic depiction of war, in both images and words. Also a must-read for students, scholars, and collectors of Tom Lea's work, ""The Two Thousand Yard Stare"" brilliantly captures the artistic skills and spirit of one of America's most compelling painters and writers.
| Dimensions | 28.58 x 2.54 x 31.12 cm |
| Isbn 10 | 1603440089 |
| Isbn 13 | 978-1603440080 |
| Item Weight | 2.13 kg |
| Language | English |
| Print Length | 256 pages |
| Publication Date | 15 Dec. 2008 |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University Press |
User
Excellent book on the art, the artist, and the history of the times
This book was a pleasant surprise. I thought it was just going to be a typical picture book of the artists work. Instead there is a whole lot of historical context of the pictures, the times they were created in, and of Tom Lea and his contemporaries. There is additional story and context of many of the subjects of his paintings and drawings. And there are a lot of both. I did not know how much sketching Lea had done. What was very interesting was several sketches where he annotated color and other particulars for future paintings.
User
An excellent through coverage of an artist who contributes greatly to ...
An excellent through coverage of an artist who contributes greatly to our understanding of what the war is all about. I first saw the two thousand yard stare as a boy but the image has stayed with my entire life. When I saw it again in my comrades eyes I understood.
User
War
My father landed on Peleliu. Like many combat veterans, he did not talk about it often, and when he did, only briefly. Tom Lea was in that same landing, and wrote about and painted what he saw and felt. The terror, the heat, the thirst, and death all around.
User
Tom Lea
Excellent art work by one of World War II's greatest and most prolific combat artists. A beautiful and well done book.
User
world war 2 combat art
some acurate paintings of how war is.
Trustpilot
2 months ago
2 months ago