These articles discuss common themes and ideas seen in war related art throughout history. Although war has changed greatly since the time of Goya, one of the first artists to depict the horrors of war rather than just glorious battle scenes, many of the themes remain the same. The article "When Modern Art Met Modern Warfare" discusses how World War I changed war art, however the New York Times article, "Horror Is a Constant, as Artists Depict War" shows that although there was some change, there were also still many similarities to art created before the war. The NY Times article compares modern war photography with 19th century paintings such as Goya's to show that the atrocities depicted in war art are the same now as they were in the past.
I found the modern art/modern warfare article interesting because it talked about how war changed the entire art world, not just art that was related to war. After WWI, British art transitioned to "the steady, reassuring hands of tradition," (Michel 2) because modern art was considered unpredictable. It is understandable that people would want to go back to traditional art styles after the war, because the world had changed so much so fast that they felt comforted by an art style that was old and well known. These readings relate to our discussions on protest art earlier in the year, because both types of art are reactions to suffering and injustice. However, the examples of war art shown in these readings are more of an emotional reaction to the suffering seen in war instead of outright protests against war. Even if they are not initially meant to create protest or carry a specifically "anti-war" message, these artworks depict the violence and pain that war causes, which upset and anger people. The emotions that these pieces stir in people is what makes war art into protest art.
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AuthorI am an art student at Maggie Walker Governor's School. On this site I post project progress, research, and photos of my final work. Archives
May 2018
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