Summer of '42 commemorates the legendary American Volunteer Group (AVG), known as the 'Flying Tigers,' whose Curtiss P-40 fighters—instantly recognizable by their painted shark-mouth noses—defended Chinese skies against Japanese air power in the early years of the Pacific War. This painting imagines a flight of AVG Warhawks banking above the karst peaks and winding waters of the Guilin region in southern China, a landscape as iconic to the group's legacy as the aircraft themselves. By the summer of 1942, the volunteer unit's exploits had already captured the American public's imagination, and its pilots would soon be absorbed into the U.S. Army Air Forces. The work reflects a tradition of aviation art that preserves the visual identity of historic squadrons for future generations. Project: 218728