Don Troiani or Mort Künstler ?

[Carnium]

I only recently found out about those two great artists and their fantastic work and would like the specialists to tell me which work is better and which books do you recommend more ?
Wasn't Mort Künstler artwork used in Civil War Generals 2 ?

Don Troiani


Mort Künstler

[TheDoctorKing]

I don't think that the troops got quite as close to each other as in the first painting. Close combat usually meant ten or twenty meters as everybody blazed away with pistols (as seen in the lower painting) and everything else they had. Real hand to hand rarely took place. Mostly the firepower was so overwhelming that a few minutes of it would result in one side or the other being so shot up that the survivors would run away.

[Colonel Dreux]

I don't think that the troops got quite as close to each other as in the first painting. Close combat usually meant ten or twenty meters as everybody blazed away with pistols (as seen in the lower painting) and everything else they had. Real hand to hand rarely took place. Mostly the firepower was so overwhelming that a few minutes of it would result in one side or the other being so shot up that the survivors would run away.

I don't know... I think there was plenty of face to face combat in the Civil War. It may have been brief, but it happened. You're right that generally the lines of soldiers stood apart from one another and fired away, but, I mean, how else could prisoners have been taken during the middle of a battle, but for having gotten close enough to them to force them to surrender?

I read a story recently of where a Confederate pleaded for mercy when a Union soldier grabbed the Confederate's knife during a successful charge and was going to plunge it in to him, until the Confederate called for him to not do it and just capture him. The whole point of charges was to breach the opponents line and force their line to fall back. At some point, if not obliterated, the charging attackers would reach the line and make contact with people.

[tagwyn]

I agree!! There was a lot of up-close-and- personal fighting. A charging target is much harder to hit when he is waving a bayonet in your direction!! t

[Ian Coote]

I have the first painting above my fireplace 876/950. Bought it back in the 80's,cost me $95 dollars US, plus shipping and handling.They also had 50 artist proofs available for about $150 if I remember. It was the first of three paintings Troiani did on Gettysburg ,one for each day.This one is from the first day.Its called "The Fight for the Colors".It depicts the capture of the battle flag of 2nd Mississippi at the railway cut.Its based on many eyewitness accounts.The union regt. is the 6th Wisc. part of the famous Iron Brigade.The name of the color bearer was Pvt.William B.Murphy of Co.A.Captured,he escaped from Fort Delaware on July 28th 1863,but was again captured by the 5th Ohio Cav. near Corinth Mississippi,while home on furlough.At the time I purchased it ,had the chance to reserve 876/950, of the other two days when they were finished. I declined,coin was kinda short at the time.Still regret that decision.

[mikee64]

If you look closely just behind the Confederate flag-bearer you can see one side of the railroad cut with the CSA troops down inside. This makes it obvious why it was such a trap once the Union troops reached the rim. You can also see it was much deeper than it is today.

Here is a link with a full description of the scene depicted in "The Fight for the Colors": [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ns4D4H5vXw0C&pg=PA83&lpg=PA83&dq="The+Fight+for+the+Colors"&source=bl&ots=1S4d_ycQ9S&sig=5l2aUL2dJL8Wymrk8oc9JAtg8sM&hl=en&ei=BSIwSrrxDZPKMO-71fcJ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#PPA83,M1]Fight for the Colors[/url]

This book is excellent and has 1 to 4 page descriptions of all of Troiani's paintings; his research into all the depictions was very thorough.

Edit to add: I'm not really familiar w/ Mort Künstler or his work, so can't make a comparison.

[Ian Coote]

Not sure,but I think the 2nd painting depicts the Union attack on Mayre's Heights,Fredericksburg.

[Colonel Dreux]

Not sure,but I think the 2nd painting depicts the Union attack on Mayre's Heights,Fredericksburg.

Yeah, that Fredricksburg and it most have been painted with Gods and Generals in mind... model on it.

I prefer Troiani.