Totes Meer (Sea of the Dead) by Paul Nash

Painted during Nash's time as an official war artist in World War II, 'Totes Meer' (German for 'Dead Sea') transforms a scrapyard of wrecked German fighter planes into a haunting seascape, resembling 'The Sea of Ice' by Caspar David Friedrich. Twisted metal forms mimic waves frozen in motion under a moonlit sky, evoking a chilling sense of death and desolation. Unlike traditional battle scenes, Nash’s surreal landscape suggests the aftermath of violence and the eerie beauty found in destruction, blending the horror of war with dreamlike symbolism.