David Bomberg
Sappers Under Hill 60, c. 1918-19
pencil, ink and wash on paper
12 x 16 cm
© David Bomberg estate
Bomberg was commissioned in 1917 by the Canadian War Memorials Fund to commemorate an incident in which a company of Canadian soldiers dug tunnels under the German trenches to lay...
Bomberg was commissioned in 1917 by the Canadian War Memorials Fund to commemorate an incident in which a company of Canadian soldiers dug tunnels under the German trenches to lay explosives for a surprise assault on the enemy defences at Ypres, in France. He produced a series of drawings showing the complex structures of struts, girders and pulleys that formed part of the underground environment. Here, his tiny figures are dwarfed by these dominant structures.