HMS Belfast is an impressive sight.
I was naturally drawn to its elegance, and the chains. Floating on the Thames it’s now a museum. A popular attraction it has a serene elegance despite its lethal abilities. Even though it has been decommissioned, those guns still hint of menace.
You know they were once fired with intent to kill.
Why do the most beautiful of things often turn out to be deadly? It’s a sobering thought.
HMS Belfast’s a fascinating snapshot of an active World War 2 warship.
Despite being hailed as a war to end all wars, conflicts still continue. By making the reality of conflict more understandable these museums do a public service. Visiting them helps remind us of how truly awful war is.
There is no glory there is only destruction.
Not that I would ever belittle the achievement of those who fought in WW2. They lived in different and desperate times but the reality of war left its evil mark and still does today.
In the Words of Frankie Goes to Hollywood
“War, what is it good for, absolutely nothing!”
That we still cannot live peacefully in spite of what we know I personally find baffling but then the harbingers of war are not generally known for their sanity, are they?
So why paint a battleship?
To remember of course, to remember!
See the pencil sketch stage of HMS Belfast here.
This painting has been sold but I still have prints available here.
