The Art of Bradley Schmehl - Historical Artist

Why I Paint History

My philosophy is one that I believe originated with Howard Pyle, venerable American illustrator, painter and teacher of the late 19th century. It is, “Paint what you know and know what you paint.” I might add, “Paint what you love and love what you paint.” I have always loved American history and the lore of the military.
Howard Pyle *The Battle of Bunker Hill*
To paint what I know and know what I paint is one reason I got into Civil war reenacting - to at least get some shadowy idea of what it may have felt like to engage the enemy in battle, to camp and campaign. And in the case of a staff officer (I ride staff with George “Stonewall” Moor of Brookville, Florida, when I reenact), to tend to the needs of one’s General and one’s horse. True, there are, on most days at least, no real bullets used in Civil war reenacting, so one has to work very hard at imagining the presence of mortal danger; but heat stroke, dehydration, heart attack, allergic reaction to insect bites, being thrown from or trampled by a horse, having a rifle or cannon explode in your face, fires, floods and spoiled food, and various and sundry other perils, are ever present. So, Civil War reenacting is something like real war - a real war fought only on summer weekends and in front of paying spectators.
Another reason I got into Civil War reenacting is a throwback to the days of my childhood, when the other boys from the neighborhood and I would get together and play war. (This was back in the days before political correctness took all the fun out of being a child or other living creature.) It was always great fun to go into the woods near our house and pretend we were in the Argonne forest. Only today, we play Civil War with grown up kids from all over the country who own cool uniforms, real rifles, cannons and horses! Who wouldn’t love that? It’s a kid’s dream come true!! Yes, there is the very real idea of honoring those veterans of yore, and trying to portray the war and the era to spectators, but let’s face it - FUN is the biggest part of reenacting.
But enough about reenacting - let’s talk research. Many fans of my work have remarked that it must be hard to do all the research that goes into a painting, to get all the details correct. That is true, but fortunately I have valuable friends and associates who contribute their effort and expertise to making my art as authentic and historically correct as possible - not that I enjoy a 100% success rate at this, but I really try. I travel to battlefields, read books, go to museums and consult with historians, battlefield guides and other experts in the field. I choose reenactors to model for my paintings who know their subject well. But, unless I do all I can to put myself into that time period mentally - and reenacting can be a great aid in that task - something will be lacking in my sense of the Civil War soldier’s experience. Even though I strive to make my pictures correct in the details, if I cannot make them FEEL true, if I cannot imbue them with a visceral emotion, if I cannot make them pulsate with life, then they serve only as elaborate historical textbook illustrations, but not as Art. Accuracy is important, but if my painting is to be Art then it must resonate with Realism. It must transcend mere factuality. My goal is to make each painting more truthful than factual, or “more real than actual”, as maritime painter John Stobart puts it.