The poppies - bland sentimentality or evocative art?

Jonathan Jones (Guardian, 1st Nov) believes the 'ugly reality' of the First World War would be better represented by Otto Dix's worm-infested skull. But how many of today's younger generation, desensitised by the gore of 18+ gaming, would give it a second thought? As a teacher, sadly, I've seen too many students unmoved by the shocking imagery of Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et to believe in any enduring power, there.
The poppies at the Tower of London are beautiful; but back up a little - step away, and the impression is increasingly that of spilt, spilling, gushing, blood.Why does no one else seem to talk about the poppies in this way, when I found this overpowering?

We can no longer shock ourselves into remembering that the Great War was 'real'. And Jones' assertion that history is 'worth far more than the illusion of memory' fails to take into account the subjective nature of history - for what is it, if not delusional memory? All too often history will, it seems, inevitable move into nostalgia. The poppies don't 'muffle the truth', Jonathan, because the truth is no longer available to us - if it ever was.