David Richardson’s Trojan War series began following several visits to Tokyo, Japan during the summer of 2000. There, he noticed shaped stones inscribed with short Kanji inscriptions identifying residences and businesses. Due to frequent rains and exposure to the elements these stones became streaked and attract mosses and lichens. The weathering caused the stones to take on a brooding and mysterious aura and left an indelible impression on Richardson. After returning to the Untied States Richardson painted a two-part series entitled Stone Monuments based on his memory of the marker’s ability to evoke emotion.

After pursuing other themes in painting, Richardson returned to the stone marker motif in January 2003. Research into stone monuments led Richardson to discover the ubiquitous nature of stone motifs – Stonehenge, Easter Island carvings, Inuit structures and Mycenaean Bull Horn carvings amongst a few. Concurrently with painting, Richardson developed lesson plans for a class he instructed at The George Washington University on the evolution of Western warfare; the characters from Homer’s Iliad constantly occupied his thoughts, he drew the title of the series and each painting from that epic legend. In short, each painting is a monument to characters and events chronicled in the Iliad.