Oil on canvas Helldivers 2 paintings manage to romaticize the absolute hell that is spreading managed democracy

Helldivers 2 has inspired players from launch day with its incredible visuals and gameplay that makes you want to drop into just one more mission all through the night. Fans have created all sorts of artwork that bring its gritty battles to life, but oil and canvas might be the perfect medium for depicting what is now The Second Galactic War.

Since Helldivers 2 was initially launched in February 2024, I’ve seen players make some incredible fan art. From the gritty film that portrays the tension of being inside a Hellpod before deployment onto the battlefield to Terminid miniatures that would look at home in Warhammer 40,000. Reddit user WriterSafe9019 has set a new standard for incredible Helldivers 2 art with their oil on canvas series that brings to life the elation and fear of spreading managed democracy around the galaxy.

Helldivers 2 oil on canvas paintings breathe new life into the game’s hellish, war-torn landscapes

The four oil on canvas paitings by Reddit user WriterSafe9019 were posted on the Helldivers 2 subreddit, where they’ve recieved understandable praise. While there’s the usual collection of democratic Officer-approved responses and references to these being painted with oil produced from dead Terminids and Automatons, there’s also genuine appreciation for the work.

User ALargeTuna commented that, “These are great! love the feel of 1 and 3 the most. great scenes and mood.” I agree with the first image being one that stands out, but I prefer the last one over the third because it’s reminiscent of the Anchorage Memorial ion Fallout 3, as well as real statues dotted around the world that memorialize wartime events.

In fact, I’d go so far as saying they make Helldivers 2‘s chaotic battlefront look beautiful. From these images alone, you wouldn’t know that Helldivers blast down from ships in orbit and step out into swarms of giant bugs and metal monstrosities that want to tear them limb from limb.

They all make Helldivers look heroic, which is absolutely how the game makes you feel while playing. They also dodge the mayhem that ensues when several Dropships start bombarding your squad or the crushing sadness of watching a Pelican fly away with your team just as you were diving toward the open door to join them.

I think the whole series is the perfect translation of real wartime paintings we have in museums like the UK’s Imperial War Museum today. Artists of the time captured moments they saw both in the heat of the moment during terrifying air raids and long after certain events because of the images etched in their minds.

While Helldivers 2‘s warfare is obviously restricted to our screens, some battles have been pretty damn harrowing. You only need to mention Malevelon Creek to get some players to shudder with fear, but even in those horrible moments there is beauty to be found and isolated within canvases like these.