Fort Langley, British Columbia — What began as a portraiture project for a Remembrance Day exhibit and assembly has given the national memorial day a completely new meaning for students at Langley Fine Arts School.
One student put it quite succinctly, “Every year we go into the theatre and have this beautiful assembly, and it always makes me think, but I think this is the first year that I’m really going to feel it.”
When art teacher Peter Sarganis began an online search for historic photographs of soldiers, he envisioned having students recreate their images for a Remembrance Day project based on the photos he found. He discovered a series of websites, photo compilations and videos dedicated to the more than 130 Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan since 2001.
Moving site compels teacher to act
Mr. Sarganis said he was deeply moved by a Canadian Forces web page entitled Fallen Canadians, where he found portrait photographs of each of the deceased. As an artist, he was struck by the depth and quality of the most recent photographs.
A selection of draft sketches of fallen Canadian soldiers created by students of Langley Fine Arts School as part of a portraiture project, in which they painted pictures of the 34* Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since November 11, 2008.
“I just felt compelled to look at these faces,” he said. “When I first saw the images, I thought, ‘Absolutely not. There’s no way I could go there.’ But I kept going back [to the Web site].
“Then I realized why I was having such a hard time with this idea: these images were so fresh and contemporary. Unlike old photographs from the world wars, which have had time to ‘heal,’ so to speak, these images belonged in our time.”
He realized then that he wanted to do something to honour the 34* Canadian soldiers who had been killed in Afghanistan since last Remembrance Day.
“I didn’t come up with the idea; it found me,” said Mr. Sarganis.
Students do more than just paint
The students have embraced the project. They often come into school early and stay late, working long hours on their portraits.
Initially, the students were given the photographs from the CF website without any names or details about the soldiers. From the photographs, students created coloured pencil drawings to familiarize themselves with the nuances of each soldier’s image before commencing their paintings. Afterwards, Mr. Sarganis revealed the names, ages and hometowns of the soldiers.
His students, however, wanted to know more. Evidence of their quests can be seen beside their easels, where several students display collections of photographs, Internet print-outs, handwritten notes and sketches to serve as inspiration for their art.
Project fosters connection with students and soldier subjects
Grade 11 students of Langley Fine Arts School work on their Remembrance Day portraits of fallen Canadian soldiers.
“One student, Sarah, came into class one day and said, ‘I Googled my soldier,’” Mr. Sarganis recounted. “I thought her choice of words was interesting—‘my’ soldier. She’d found a Facebook page that his wife had set up in his honour. And then she said, ‘Apparently he was a really funny guy. His wife loved him so much.’ Another student found a poem about her soldier. She was so touched by the words that she wrote it down and brought it with her to class.”
Through social media, the students had made the connection that these soldiers had existed in their world and were, in many cases, not much older than the students themselves. The soldiers became more than just anonymous images. They became real people with families and lives, hopes and dreams.
Portraits reflect true spirit of soldiers
While putting the finishing touches on her portrait of Private Demetrios Diplaros, student Ann Rhi asked a visiting CF officer whether a person who had known these soldiers would recognize them, and whether the portraits had managed to reflect the true spirit of the soldiers. The officer paused for a moment, and then quietly responded, “I think your paintings capture their spirit and honour them in a way that a photograph never could.”
Multi-disciplinary exhibit a school-wide endeavour
While Mr. Sarganis’ Grade 11 art students have gotten the lion’s share of attention, the Remembrance Day event is, in fact, a school-wide endeavour. It runs from November 5 to December 7 at the school gallery.
*Note: Since Mr. Sarganis was interviewed, there have been 36 CF member casualties in Afghanistan since last Remembrance Day.
Article by acting Sub-Lieutenant Carli Rachel Sussman, 39 CBG Public Affairs
Photos by Cpl Shirley Edel, 39 CBG Public Affairs
