In a quiet area of the Arlington National Cemetery, Bethesda artist Chris Demarest brings to life the forgotten stories of the “Greatest Generation” one painting at a time.
Demarest paints portraits from old photos of World War II-era servicemen and women as part of a project he began last May. Demarest paints at the entrance of the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, where he can connect and interact with the public.
The idea first came to Demarest after a friend, Whitman parent Bryan Holland, showed him a photo of his father, who had served in World War II.
“It was an old black and white photo of this cocky 19-year old in this huge plane,” Demarest said. “Everything about the photo said ‘I am in control.’ I told Bryan I had to paint it, and he gave me permission to do so on the condition that he could give the painting to his dad. Bryan said he had never seen his dad cry until the moment he showed him that painting.”
Demarest later contacted other friends asking for photos, and he eventually received pictures from people who had visited his exhibit and were interested in the project. He chooses photos that look interesting and have striking stories behind them, he said.
Working from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. six days a week, Demarest dedicates as much time to his paintings as he would to a typical full-time job, but he said painting doesn’t feel like a job to him.
“I love coming here,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll have six hours straight of painting, but other days it will be less because people will come by and talk to me. I don’t mind the interruptions; I love hearing people’s stories.”
Some of Demarest’s favorite aspects of this project are the stories he’s unfolded and the connections he’s made, as well as the public’s responses.
Junior Delaney Holland, whose grandfather Griff Holland is one of the servicemen featured in the exhibit, said seeing her grandfather depicted as a young man was a special experience.
“The painting is really cool. It portrays everything that time period is about,” Holland said. “It’s a good feeling to know that a family member of mine is represented at Arlington, and the painting is really amazing.”
The project includes a “Wall of Thanks,” where exhibit visitors have made cards and written messages to honor military servicemen and women, past and present.
Demarest said the project changed his views on the time period of World War II. Though he grew up with the glamorized ideas of war in the 1950s, Demarest became disenchanted with war after joining the Vietnam peace movement of the 1960s and experiencing war firsthand as a Coast Guard artist in the Persian Gulf. Now, Demarest sees the greatest generation and World War II in a new light and hopes to share this new perspective with the public through his work.
This March, a symposium in D.C. to honor women in the military will display Demarest’s paintings. Demarest is currently raising funds for the paintings that will be showcased throughout the country after this exhibition is complete.
Demarest plans to continue this project for another three or four months and is considering other projects, like pieces on contemporary female soldiers or portraits of soldiers from Vietnam. For now, though, Demarest isn’t sure where the future will take him.
As for right now, Demarest is painting completely voluntarily. The project is unfunded and he is not paid for his work. He doesn’t work any other jobs besides occasionally illustrating children’s books.
“If money weren’t an issue, I could paint these for the rest of my life,” he said.
