Others wear yellow rectangular life vests (also known as “Mae Wests”). Some of the men wear fleece-lined brown bomber jackets or flight suits, while others wear parachute harnesses, goggles, or have flying helmets on their heads. In a style reminiscent of the American artist Edward Hopper (1882–1967), Jordan presents a crew of nine men positioned in front their aircraft along with the U.S. November 1944, 1966, Robert Jordan, oil on canvas, 73.25” x 94.75.” The Group Portrait The artist refers to the painting as a “memory myth,” but a little research tells otherwise. At the end of the war, the crew was forced to march to avoid the advancing Russians. His crew was shot down on their fourth mission near Hanover, Germany, and they were imprisoned in Stalag Luft IV Prison of War (POW) camp. I was working from a twenty-two-year-old memory of faces, and really wanted it to be general for any crew.” In a modest tone, the artist also shared his experience as a B-24 tail gunner in the 8th Air Force during World War II.

Jordan also stated in his letter, “The painting by no means is a true group portrait. With the chiaroscuro technique, Jordan painted the crew members in the duality of light and shade in front of an aircraft hidden in shadow.

Rembrandt was notorious for his chiaroscuro technique, in which subjects are rendered in strong contrasts of light and shadow-this painting certainly reflects those characteristics. Jordan’s donation letter to the Museum reveals that his impetus for the painting came from an admiration of group portraits by the seventeenth-century painters Frans Hals and Rembrandt van Rijn. In 1976, the artist donated the painting to the National Air and Space Museum’s art collection while teaching art history at the Washington University in St. November 1944 by Robert Jordan (1925–1993) is a massive oil painting representing an American aircrew.

Art of war 2 global