War art

War art is considered a genre of art.[1] It is characterized by war, military subjects and war activities, as part of the wider field of military art. The distinction between war and military art is not clear-cut.[2] The works described as war art represent a broad range of subject matter and styles.[3] It includes sculpture, and other artistic media. War art includes painting, as a sub-type of history painting.

Although war art is an account of one aspect of art history, it is also an expression of culture.[4] War art combines artistic and documentary functions,[5] and it becomes one of the significant legacies of any culture.[6]

Contents

Definition

War art by definition becomes an attempt to come to terms with the nature and reality of violence.[7] For example, in Australia, C.E.W. Bean's Anzac Book influenced the artists who grew up between the two world wars. When these Australians were asked to depict a second multi-nation war after 1939, there was a precedent and format for them to follow.[1]

War art is typically realistic; but its definition of accuracy emphasizes not only factual, eyewitness detail but also the emotional impression and impact of events.[8] Art and war becomes "a tussle between the world of the imagination and the world of action" — a constant tension between the factual representation of events and an artist's interpretation.[9]

War art is artwork conceived and executed by people involved in war in some manner. In other words, the subject can be parsed according to who creates it,[10] as for example,

War art may been created by a combination of the above[10] — or not created. For example, during the course of World War II, the Italians created virtually no art which documented the conflict. The French began to paint the war only after the war was ended in 1945.[11]

Genre

War art as a genre of art history simply to indicates a class or kind of painting which is grouped according to common feature. The grouping is marked by a distinctive adjective or epithet.[12] War art is characterized by the subject matter it depicts rather any specific style or material used.

War art appeared in various forms in classical western art history. Examples of this genre include the friezes of warriors at the Temple of Aphaia in Greece or the Bayeux Tapestry,[13] is a linear panoramic narrative of the events surrounding the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.[14]

Narrative themes gallery

Narrative art captures specific military maneuvers

River crossings
Cavalry engagements
Sanctuary

Propaganda

War art has been used as an instrument of propaganda.[15] War art has served nation-building functions [16] or other persuasive ends.[5]

Propaganda gallery

Enlistment
Civilian support for the war effort

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Reid, John B. (1977). Australian Artists at War, Vol. 2, p. 5; excerpt, "The Australian people first became familiar with Australasian war art as a genre with the publication of the so-called 'Christmas books' ... which contained the writings of servicemen and were illustrated by the current war artists."
  2. ^ Freeman, Julian, "War art," and Richard Woodward, "Military artists," Oxford Companion to Military History; retrieved 22 Mar 2011. Note that the term "war art" does not appear in Grove Art Online.
  3. ^ National Gallery of Australia (NGA), "War Artists"; excerpt, "During the Second World War several war art schemes operated: the official war artists, appointed by the Australian War Memorial (q.v.); the army artists, servicemen seconded to portray the war; and the Military History Section artists, servicemen appointed to work on the Christmas annuals."
  4. ^ Brandon, Laura. (2008). Art and War, p. 4. at Google Books
  5. ^ a b Foss, Brian. (2006). War Paint: Art, War, State, and Identity in Britain, 1939-45, p. 157. at Google Books; excerpt, "records that were as much artistic as documentary."
  6. ^ Foss, p. 131. at Google Books
  7. ^ Foss, p. 124. at Google Books
  8. ^ Foss, p. 134. at Google Books
  9. ^ Gough, Paul. (2010) A Terrible Beauty: British Artists in the First World War, p. 3.
  10. ^ a b c d e Answers.com quoting Oxford Companion to Military History
  11. ^ Ross, Alan. (1983). Colours of War, p. 118.
  12. ^ "Genre" in Chambers's Encyclopaedia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge (1892), Vol. 5, pp. 135-136. at Google Books
  13. ^ Stover, Eric et al. (2004). My Neighbor, my Enemy, p. 271. at Google Books
  14. ^ UNESCO, Bayeaux tapestry, Nomination Form, p. 4; excerpt,"... it is an established fact that it recounts a military triumph: the conquest of England by William the Conqueror"; Nomination Form, pp. 5-6; excerpt, "This large-scale textile work of the 11th century is, to our knowledge, the only one of its kind to have survived to the present day. The Tapestry is an almost contemporary visual record of the event it depicts, one of the most significant events of Medieval times. It tells of the beginnings of the Norman Conquest; the landing of Norman and French troops in England and the Battle of Hastings"
  15. ^ Brandon, p. 58. at Google Books
  16. ^ Brandon, p. 6. at Google Books

References

Further reading

External links