I doubt whether aerography on planes was the best way to cheer up troops, but it was definitely something that could distinguish the US air force from the rest. Moreover, it proves that aerography has a long and rich history.
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4 Responses to “World War II Aerography on Planes”
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Cool photos!
I love these and have added them to our site http://www.snapme.ca Thanks for the find!
This isn’t aerography…
Aerography is a meteorological term, and is in fact something of a synonym to the word meteorology itself.
The term aerography does seem to have been applied to the use of three dimensional objects in lieu of stencils or other traditional masks while working with sprayed mediums to create a work of art… but this association with art is an incorrect usage of the word. However, this is a world in which people pronounce ‘ask’ as ‘aks’, ‘escape’ as ‘ekscape’, and many think that ‘irregardless’ is a proper and correct word in the English language. So I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.
Anyway, even if you consider ‘aerography’, as defined above, to be a valid art term, this artwork on aircraft from WWII most definitely does NOT fall within that category.
These days this stuff is called ‘nose art’ because the majority of the artwork was placed on the nose of an aircraft. (It was not known as such during the war… the term was coined afterward, possibly in the late 40s or the 50s… or who knows when…) More often than not, relatively few stencils or masks were used. The majority of personal artwork applied to US military aircraft in WWII was drawn out with grease pencil or chalk, and painted by hand with brushes… using whatever paints were available. There have even been instances of crayon being used!
You are indeed correct in stating that the widespread adornment of US military aircraft (mostly in the USAAF) with ‘nose art’ did set our air arms apart from those of other nations. But I know for a fact that you vastly underestimate its value as a morale booster. After talking with hundreds, and reading about the experiences of thousands of AAF vets, it’s quite clear that even the little things made all the difference in the world when they were overseas for years at a time…
I don’t say any of this to put you down in any way… I merely seek to state the facts as only an artistically-inclined, former USAF weatherman who’s nuts for things with wings can. On the contrary, I applaud you for posting this stuff here. The more people are made aware of such things, the better…
Funny!! Ha Ha!