The Great Gallery
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1965–1973

The Vietnam War

From 1965 to 1973 the United States fought in the Vietnam War, supporting South Vietnam against the Communist North. It was a long and costly conflict at home and overseas, with huge protests in the United States, and ended with US troops leaving in 1973 and the North taking the South in 1975.

Why artists painted it

The US Army sent combat artists to Vietnam, just as it had in the world wars. Their paintings and drawings, made for the government and so in the public domain, show soldiers, helicopters and villages, and the quiet moments between the fighting.

Big Guns Big Guns · David Fairrington, 1968

14 artworks about this moment

Big Guns Big Guns David Fairrington · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time Soldiers work on a big artillery gun in Vietnam in 1968 in a painting by David Fairrington. Radio Operator Radio Operator David Fairrington · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time A soldier carries a radio, the lifeline of a patrol, in a tall, bold painting by David Fairrington. In the Field In the Field David Fairrington · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time A soldier strides through golden grass in Vietnam in a painting of 1968 by David Fairrington. The Ladies The Ladies David Fairrington · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time Vietnamese women in cone-shaped hats gather in a colorful, patterned scene by David Fairrington in 1968. Young Girls Young Girls David Fairrington · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time Two Vietnamese girls lean close to each other in a gentle painting by David Fairrington from 1968. Cobra Cobra Stephen H. Randall · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time A Cobra attack helicopter, one of the most important aircraft of the Vietnam War, is painted in dark glassy shapes by Stephen H. Mountain Climber Mountain Climber Stephen H. Randall · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time A helicopter waits on the ground in a muddy field in Vietnam, in a watercolor by Stephen H. Over There Over There Stephen H. Randall · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time Two soldiers lean over the edge of a bunker in Vietnam in a sketchy watercolor by Stephen H. I See It I See It Stephen H. Randall · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time Medics treat a wounded soldier in a busy scene by Stephen H. Lifeline Lifeline Ronald A. Wilson · 1967 👁️ Painted at the time Medics rush a wounded soldier to a waiting helicopter in a swirl of blue, in a painting of 1967 by Ronald A. Starlight Starlight Ronald A. Wilson · 1967 👁️ Painted at the time Ronald A. Mortar Attack Counterfire Mortar Attack Counterfire Ronald A. Wilson · 1967 👁️ Painted at the time Flares light up the night sky while glowing lines of tracer fire cross the dark in this blue painting of 1967 by Ronald A. Down Trail Down Trail James Pollock · 1967 👁️ Painted at the time A swirling, almost abstract picture of a trail through the jungle in Vietnam by James Pollock in 1967. Get Them Out Get Them Out Stephen H. Randall · 1968 👁️ Painted at the time Soldiers in dark, heavy shapes struggle in a tense scene by Stephen H.