Arthur Nantel's war art captures life as a PoW during World War I. Christmas Eve in Geissen Camp. Arthur Nantel began his career as a commercial artist in his home town of Montreal, and although he had no formal training he spent a lifetime earning a living in the arts. This talent helped him make it through the dark years of World War I. In August 1914, at age 41, he enlisted with the 14th Royal Montreal Battalion. He first saw action at Ypres, Belgium, in April 1915, during the Battle of St. Julien. He was captured there and spent the remainder of the war at Giessen, a German prisoner of war camp. For the first few years, Nantel's captors saw him as a valuable commodity, exploiting him at every opportunity. He and a few other talented PoWs were given a small hut that they ...