Two Great Artists Portray War

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When we think about art, we usually think about something beautiful. But art reflects life, and there are numerous themes in art history that are anything but pleasant to look at.

One of these themes is war. War is always a sad and solemn subject. So much waste – of lives, of resources, and the total disruption of the peaceful course of everyday life. While most of the military art as a genre focuses on the heroics and propaganda associated with the war, two famous artists, Goya and Vereshchagin, capture the theme in their own way aiming to portray the very essence of war.

Francisco Goya (1746–1828) is known for a whole series of prints (82 in total) called "The Disasters of War". They were created between 1810 and 1820 – surprisingly, the time frame that many of Jane Austen’s novels fall into. The Peninsular War fought against Napoleon’s advancing and conquering troops lasted for seven years. It was one of the first wars in which guerilla warfare played a tremendously important role. 

The Colossus. after 1808. Francisco Goya

His painting known as “The Colossus” or “The Giant”, is an allegory of war. While the prints in The Disasters of War document the atrocities of warfare, the huge raging giant in El Colosso is a personification of war. He’s heedless of the tiny creatures at his feet, forcing them to run from his blind rage.

The Colossus. detail. Francisco Goya

An interesting detail is a donkey that is standing still in the midst of the panic of the other figures. Donkeys were a common symbol of ignorance and foolishness, and Goya possibly implies that only fools do not fear war.

Vasiliy Vereshchagin (1842-1904) was born more than a century after Goya. Trained as a naval officer, he abandoned a military career to study art under the French Academic painted Jean-Léon Gérome. Traveling as a volunteer wartime correspondent from India to the Balkans, he documented major battles and minor skirmishes in his paintings.  

While most of his paintings were well received, a few were banned due to the negative light in which they portrayed the Russian Imperial army. One of these paintings, “The Apotheosis of War”, was dedicated by the artist "to all conquerors, past, present, and future". 

 The Apotheosis of War. 1871. Vasiliy Vereshchagin

It’s easy to see why this painting provoked a viewership ban from authorities both in Russia and in Germany where the artist attempted to exhibit it. It’s very definitely anti-war. The artist seems to be asking, “Can any purpose be worth this?” It’s also no coincidence that no victors are present in the picture – just carrion birds.

 

Bibliography:

https://smarthistory.org/goya-and-theres-nothing-to-be-done-from-the-disasters-of-war/

https://www.musings-on-art.org/blogs/artists/vereshchagin-vasily-vereshchagin

Goya. Tsvetan Todorov. Iztok-Zapad 2012 


 

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