For modern Australian artists, World War II inspired them to create works about the experience of combat, the powerfully destructive machinery of war and the vast social upheaval produced by global conflict.
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When they pictured aspects of battle or its aftermath, they primarily focused on the brutal interaction of bodies, machines and landscapes, Warwick Heywood, curator of the Australian War Memorial's newest exhibition Reality in flames, said.
Reality in flames opens on Friday and is the first exhibition dedicated exclusively to exploring the reactions of Australian modernist artists to World War II.
The exhibition showcases 90 works comprising paintings, sketches and sculptures from leading artists such as Russell Drysdale, Nora Heysen and Albert Tucker and was developed through the official war art scheme.
"Many of these works explore the technological nature of the machines and weapons of war and the destruction they caused, focusing on their unique forms, textures and rhythms," Mr Heywood said.
Australian War Memorial director Brendan Nelson said the war artists enabled Australians to gain a clearer perspective of the World War II experience.
"This was an incredibly important period in Australia's history — it was a time of anxiety and great change. These works present a revealing and often original engagement with this war," he said.
The exhibition includes 53 paintings, 32 works on paper and five sculptures.
Reality in flames modern Australian art and the Second World War is on display in the Special Exhibitions Gallery from Friday until September 7 next year.
