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Wladyslaw I. Benda's Poetic Illustration
In this romanticized image of young men fighting their way through barbed wire, Benda illustrates the poem by Mary Carolyn Davies, "God, Be Good to Her!" Davies imagines a gallant young man thrilled by the adventure, the peasants' cheers, and experiencing the joy "of perilous, wondrous questing" while praying for his worried mother at home. American artist Wladyslaw Benda was born in Poznań, Poland, and studied in Krakow and Vienna before immigrating to the United States. Participating in the Division of Pictorial Publicity, Benda's art encouraged young men to enlist. |