Parade To War Allegory Analysis

Parade to War Allegory is a piece of work created in 1938 by John Steuart Curry. The dimensions of this work are 47 13/16 x 63 13/16 and the particular medium used was oil on canvas. John Steuart Curry was born on November 14, 1897 in Dunavant, Kansas. Thanks to his parents Smith and Margearet Curry, John was introduced to art at a young age. His parents both felt strongly that one should have a strong appreciation for art, instilling that belief in their son. Once Curry became of age he studied at the Kansas City Art Institute and the Art Institute of Chicago. Curry’s career officially began working as an illustrator, and it was not until the 1920’s to 1930’s that he began painting. The majority of his works focused on his hometown and the history of Kansas. …show more content…
Parade to War, Allegory was finished right at the end of the Great Depression and at the forefront of World War II. Both the war and the destruction of the Great Depression tie into the meaning of the painting and the depressing, gloomy reality of this time period. In Parade to War, Allegory soldiers with skulls in place of their heads are shown marching off to war. A woman is clinging on to one of the soldiers, children are running on streets alongside the soldiers, and cops and other townspeople are looking on as the soldiers march to their fate. Parade to War is an allegorical painting, meaning that aspects of the work symbolize the hidden truth to the subject matter of the work. Curry’s use of formal elements and principles of design such as a strong focal point, atmospheric perspective, repetition, contrast between light and dark colors, and symbolism all elicit the depressing dark fate of the