Returning to the Trenches

Although Nevinson accepted Futurist principles, and was indeed author of the 'English Futurist Manifesto', he never agreed with its tenet, 'We glorify war, which for us is the only hygiene of the world'. In 'Returning to the Trenches' instead of revelling in this 'glory', Nevinson combines cubist and futurist techniques to portray man as a mere extension of the war machine and thus part of an impersonal and inglorious affair. The group of individuals become a collective 'dynamic' force marching in relentless uniformity, emotionally detached from the metronomic routines of war. After being appointed an official war artist in 1917, Nevinson's art gradually turned towards realism as he found cubo-futurist techniques wholly inadequate to accurately portray the true horrors of war.