Gassed
1919
John Singer Sargent captured the grim reality of World War I in this massive panorama, showing a line of blindfolded soldiers stumbling toward a dressing station after a mustard gas attack. The hazy, yellowish sky looms over a field littered with fallen comrades, creating a haunting contrast between the orderly line of the wounded and the chaos around them. Originally commissioned by the British government, Sargent was so moved by the scene at a field hospital that he scrapped his initial ideas to paint this unforgettable tribute to the soldiers' suffering.
Location: Imperial War Museum, London
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