Paul-Michel Dupuy, French, born Paris, - In the Trenches, Winter - 1915 - T-Shirt

A soldier crouches at the lip of a snow-covered trench, rifle lying beside him, in this 1915 drawing by Paul-Michel Dupuy.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing is built in grey tones. Broad layers of white highlight sit over soft charcoal shading, and the snow fills the lower two thirds of the sheet. The soldier wears a greatcoat and kepi and leans forward with one hand pressed onto the packed snow. A rifle with a fixed bayonet lies along the edge of the excavation. Behind him, bare pollarded willows stand against a darkening sky, and small figures in a second line of defences sit far off in the distance. The signature and date, “P.M. Dupuy 1915,” appear in the lower left.

Meaning & Symbolism

The scene records the monotony and exposure of trench warfare in winter. The soldier is alone, still and watchful, and the frozen landscape around him points to endurance rather than combat. Dupuy, a French painter, draughtsman and printmaker, devoted much of his work to the First World War and to military life. This sheet comes from the early years of the conflict, when many French artists drew the front for publication and for the record, and it reflects the wartime interest in ordinary soldiers and the cold and waiting they endured.

Carried Onto a Tee

The drawing is best seen up close, and a tee is worn close to the body, so the figure and his frozen surroundings stay within easy view as you move. The quiet grey palette suits a shirt that works with everyday clothes, and the lone soldier at the trench edge gives the front of the shirt a single, focused subject.