War art exposes the pain and suffering generated when one group of people decides that it must kill another. What may seem to be empty reminders of human savagery can transformed into profound works of art which serve admonitions for the horrors of war. Although the technology of war changes rapidly between each conflict, the brutality of man remains an inherent part of occupation. Whether it be rifles, machine guns, or atomic bombs, war artists explore the darker side of the human condition, forcing us to learn about the mistakes of the past.
Fancisco de Goya uncovered the dark underbelly of the seemingly glorious Napoleonic army in his “the Horrors of War” series. The collection of prints highlights the merciless acts of French soldiers occupying the newly conquered Spanish towns. Goya includes accounts of rape, murder, and straight massacre in his pieces, providing one of the most famous and eerie collections of war art to date. Even today, such gruesome stories make their way into the media as conflicts continue to emerge around the world. When one group attempts to impress their will onto a population which refuses to conform, violence is inevitable.
Kikuji Kawada recorded a more modern account of war-fare in his “The Map” collection. Kawada photographed scenes of the destruction of Japan from the Second World War. His most famous pieces are from the Atomic Bomb Dome, the only surviving structure at the heart of the explosion. Photographs of burnt, twisted, and malformed objects captured the devastation caused by an atomic explosion. Hiroshima, a once normal town, became an alien landscape littered with relics of its previous inhabitants. Perhaps as chemical and biological warfare continues to evolve in contemporary battlefields, a new wave of brave photographers will expose the aberrations of science used to strike terror in the hearts of many.
As conflicts continue to emerge, warfare will continue to impact the lives of innocents caught in the tumult of it all. Contemporary war artist and reporters now more than ever play a critical role in exposing the truth about war. The media cannot always report civilian casualties or human rights violations, it would be bad business, thus freelance artists and reporters must continue to discover the facts and translate them into the universally accepted language of art. Everyone can empathize with the look of terror on a refugees face, or a tears of grief shed by a boy who lost their parents in an air raid. War artists must take these painful reminders of the cruelty of war and turn them into beacons of hope. Hope that the masses might see the true horrors of war and demand that violence cast away and succeeded by peace.
Fancisco de Goya uncovered the dark underbelly of the seemingly glorious Napoleonic army in his “the Horrors of War” series. The collection of prints highlights the merciless acts of French soldiers occupying the newly conquered Spanish towns. Goya includes accounts of rape, murder, and straight massacre in his pieces, providing one of the most famous and eerie collections of war art to date. Even today, such gruesome stories make their way into the media as conflicts continue to emerge around the world. When one group attempts to impress their will onto a population which refuses to conform, violence is inevitable.
Kikuji Kawada recorded a more modern account of war-fare in his “The Map” collection. Kawada photographed scenes of the destruction of Japan from the Second World War. His most famous pieces are from the Atomic Bomb Dome, the only surviving structure at the heart of the explosion. Photographs of burnt, twisted, and malformed objects captured the devastation caused by an atomic explosion. Hiroshima, a once normal town, became an alien landscape littered with relics of its previous inhabitants. Perhaps as chemical and biological warfare continues to evolve in contemporary battlefields, a new wave of brave photographers will expose the aberrations of science used to strike terror in the hearts of many.
As conflicts continue to emerge, warfare will continue to impact the lives of innocents caught in the tumult of it all. Contemporary war artist and reporters now more than ever play a critical role in exposing the truth about war. The media cannot always report civilian casualties or human rights violations, it would be bad business, thus freelance artists and reporters must continue to discover the facts and translate them into the universally accepted language of art. Everyone can empathize with the look of terror on a refugees face, or a tears of grief shed by a boy who lost their parents in an air raid. War artists must take these painful reminders of the cruelty of war and turn them into beacons of hope. Hope that the masses might see the true horrors of war and demand that violence cast away and succeeded by peace.