Born in 1912, Francis Gruber lived through both World Wars, was an anti-war activist.  His artistic work and philosophy are revealed against a background account of war. 

Influences

Gruber's early life and artistic work is revealed against a background of war, political instability and economic hardship.  Gruber supported the Spanish Republican cause in almost entirely artistic demonstrations.

"When Gruber paints, he arranges his models in simple poses, staring out into the distance beyond the viewer, escaping eye contact and creating an atmosphere around the model of intense intimacy, solitude and vulnerability. It is these aspects of Gruber's work that appear so acutely responsive to the desolation of war and the immediate post-war ear" (Morris, 129).

In 1942, Gruber responded to a theme exhibition with a painting of a devastated landscape, with the form of a  naked body of a woman in the foreground--another victim of war. It was these types of paintings that reflected his anti-war sentiments.