The War Years Through the Eyes of An Artist

Maggie Rice presents this PowerPoint lecture that tells the romantic story of her father Michael Reilly during his time as an Army private stationed in Germany during World War II. His letters home to his young bride included poetry, sketches and watercolors, which focused on the villages and countryside he passed through. These were peaceful renderings, not depicting the destruction of battle, and perhaps both provided him an escape and were meant to ease his wife's worrying.  An Islip Terrace resident when he died in 1994, Reilly's wartime artwork totaled about 150 pieces in number.