Tanks played an important role in the Second World War and artists frequently documented their contribution. Indeed, the largest tank battle in history occurred at Kursk, in Russia, in July 1943; 2,700 German tanks and assault guns were pitted against 3,306 Russian machines. Tank Advance, Italy depicts heavily armoured Sherman tanks of the Governor General's Horse Guards (3rd Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment) moving through a dusty valley. This oil painting on canvas (75.8 x 101.2 cm) was completed in the artist's London studio in November 1944 and re-creates part of the action in the breaching of the Hitler Line, south of Rome, by the 1st Canadian Corps in May 1944. On the hill known as Monte Cassino, behind the tanks, we see the ruins of the famous Benedictine abbey which had been destroyed earlier by bombing.
Lawren Phillips Harris (1910- ) came from a richly artistic background. His father, Lawren S. Harris, was a founding member of the Group of Seven. In July 1940 Lawren P. Harris was commissioned in the Reserve Army and in February 1941 he transferred to the Canadian Active Service Force. Further training in Canada and Great Britain followed; from October 1942 until November 1943 Harris was technically a tank officer with reinforcement units in Great Britain. During much of this time, however, he was attached to Canadian Military Headquarters in London, painting portraits and artillery training scenes. Once posted to Italy, Harris was promoted to captain and on 12 December, 1943 he was appointed an official war artist. He remained in the Italian theatre until July 1944, covering both the 1st Canadian Infantry and 5th Canadian Armoured Divisions. When he was posted back to Britain the artist found a studio and completed several large oil paintings based upon his earlier experiences. Unlike his work from the pre and post-war period, the artist's wartime creations rely upon a highly realistic technique. Harris explained subsequently that as an official war artist he had felt "obliged to paint for the paymaster in a rather heroic and starkly-realistic fashion." Returning to Canada in September 1945, Harris was demobilized the following June.
Courtesy: Canadian War Museum, National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada (12722)
