Historical battle painting

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The large-scale and epic battle genre occupies a special niche in painting. It is entirely devoted to the war and everything connected with it: sea and land battles, campaigns, etc. The genre is distinguished primarily by high dynamics, a large number of human figures and close attention to detail, which give historical authenticity to everything that happens on the canvas.

The emergence of the genre and its development in the Middle Ages

The official branch of battle painting into an independent genre occurred in the 16th century, but painters from all over the world began to create in this direction much earlier. So, already on the amphoras, bas-reliefs, walls of the temples of Ancient Greece, you can see scenes of historically important battles. In the Roman Empire and in the East, emperors and great generals, rulers in battle were often depicted. In this case, battle painting also served as a historical chronicle.

In the Middle Ages, the genre was reflected in carpets, books, prints, tapestries and evenicons. Or, for example, the “Baye Carpet” created on fabric with plots from the story of the conquest of England by the Norman feudal lords (1073-1083), shown in the photo.

But truly impressive and large-scale can be called the work of painters of the Renaissance period in Italy. The battle genre acquired its characteristic features, realism and dynamics. From this time begins its official chronological countdown. At this time, the images of the battles were created by Piero della Francesca, Paolo Uccello, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and others.

18-20th century

The 18th century can be called a new milestone in development. At this time, against the background of the war for independence, canvases by American artists appeared, and Russian battle painting was also born (engravings by Zubkov A. F., paintings by Nikitin I. N., mosaics by Lomonosov M. V., etc.). Under the influence of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, a romantic trend emerged in the genre, most clearly expressed in the works of E. Delacroix and O. Vernet. In Russia, at this time, the maritime theme and the battle-domestic theme “bloom”. The brightest representatives of the first are Aivazovsky I. K. and Bogolyubov A. P., the second - Polenov V. D., Kovalevsky P. O. Merciless and realistic creates his paintings Vereshchagin V. V., who participated in many wars and campaigns as a volunteer.

In the 20th century, historical battle painting was formed against the backdrop of liberation and social revolutions, destructive wars. There were cardinal changes in the genre, expanding its artistic meaning and boundaries. Inmany works trace social and historical-philosophical issues, problems of war and peace, fascism, human society. Unity is noticeable, because, both in the art of the countries of the socialist camp and in the capitalist states, the painting of the battle genre is dedicated to anti-fascist and revolutionary battles, the largest historical events not only of an individual people, but of the whole world.

Battle painting: features

Painting on the theme of war and related issues has certain features, it cannot be confused with works from any other genre of art. Its uniqueness lies in the following:

• A visual demonstration of the importance of a battle or a certain historical moment, the life of soldiers, war in general.
• Reflection on canvases of the most iconic and important moments of the battle.
• Demonstration of soldier's heroism.
• Instilling and cultivating a sense of duty, patriotism.

It should be noted that the historical and battle genres in painting are extremely close. This is due to the fact that the canvases reflect not just military actions, they are tied to a certain historically important event. You can often find pictures showing the life of soldiers, ordinary life outside the battlefield, but closely related to the war.

Without clarity and a story about outstanding battle painters, information about this genre of painting is not fully perceived. No wonder one of the proverbs says that it is better to see once than to hear aboutthis a hundred times.

Vereshchagin Vasily Vasilyevich

The name of this Russian battle painter, 19th century painter and traveler is known throughout the world. He devoted almost his entire life to various trips, military campaigns, including those in Turkestan, Semirechye, India, the Caucasus, Europe and Russia. Vereshchagin graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps, participated in hostilities, including withstood the siege of Samarkand as part of a small Russian garrison, for which he received the Order of St. George of the fourth degree, which he was extremely proud of. He knew firsthand about the war, so it is quite logical that at some point battle painting became his vocation.

The artist had his own vision of military operations, attitude to the death of ordinary soldiers. On his canvases, he reflected the real price of the emperor's ambitions in Middle Eastern companies. The paintings, filled with a special philosophy and a critical attitude towards the war, were often the cause of condemnation from the sovereign and his entourage. The most famous works: "The Apotheosis of War" (in the third photo), "Napoleon in Russia" (photo above), the Turkestan and Balkan series, "Before the attack. Under Plevna.”

Franz Alekseevich Rubo

The name F. A. Roubaud is familiar to everyone: from professionals in the field to amateurs. He is the founder of the Russian school of panoramic painting and the author of more than two hundred canvases, including three of the most monumental: The Battle of Borodino, The Defense of Sevastopol (photo above) and"Assault on the village of Akhulgo". He comes from the family of a French businessman who settled in Odessa. Since 1903, the artist has been working as a director in a workshop at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, while having the title of professor. Grekov M. B. was among his students. On the eve of the revolution in Russia, Roubaud finally moved to Germany in 1912. However, in the last years of his life he did not have large orders, living almost in complete oblivion.

Grekov Mitrofan Borisovich

A battle painter of Russian-Cossack origin, born in the Rostov region, became the founder of the genre in the Soviet Union. He gained invaluable experience during the First World War, and then the Civil War. During this period, he made a large number of thematic sketches. His battle painting is represented by such paintings as “Tachanka” (photo below), “Frozen Cossacks of General Pavlov”, “Battle of Yegorlykskaya”, “Trumpeters of the First Cavalry”, he also led the work on the panorama “Storming Perekop” in 1934.

Sauerweid Alexander Ivanovich

Professor of battle painting, a famous Russian and German artist created his canvases in the first half of the 19th century, was originally from Courland. He received an excellent education at the Dresden Academy. Even in his youth, he painted paintings commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, and in 1814 he was invited to St. Petersburg by Alexander I to paint military canvases, as well as drawings of uniforms for soldiers of Russian troops. Under Nicholas I, he taught drawing to the Grand Dukes. PaintingsSauerweid are distinguished by dry writing, not quite perfect composition, but at the same time excellent drawing. The most famous works: "Battle of Leipzig" (photo below), "Storm of the fortress of Varna", "Battle of Leipzig".

Villevalde Bogdan Pavlovich

The son of a we althy foreigner from Bavaria was born in Pavlovsk in 1818, and twenty years later became one of the students of Karl Bryullov. Having received the title of an artist, he worked not only in Russia, but throughout Europe, was engaged in teaching, was awarded orders. Villevalde's canvases were exhibited in Paris and Vienna, Berlin and Antwerp, they reflected the events of the war of 1812, the Polish uprising of 1831, the Hungarian campaign, the hostilities of the 1870s, etc. The most famous works in the genre of battle painting: "Battle under Grochow", "The feat of the cavalry regiment in the battle of Austerlitz", "General Blucher and the Cossacks in Bautzen", "They were captured in 1814"

Peter von Hess

Bavarian court battle painter and master of historical painting Peter von Hess was born in 1792 in Düsseldorf. Like many other masters of the genre, he knew the war firsthand. Hess participated in campaigns against Napoleon I in 1813-1814. He began his work with small sketches of scenes from the life of soldiers and common people. After a trip to Greece in the retinue of King Otto in 1831, he created a whole series of paintings dedicated to the struggle of the Greeks for independence. In 1839, he went to Russia in order to collect material for the creation of canvases ordered by Nicholas I himself. Twelve large-scale paintings were devoted to the battles of 1812, including the battle of Borodino, Smolensk, Vyazma.

Few artists of battle painting can boast such liveliness of composition as Hess's. Individual figures or complex groups on the canvases are thought out and worked out to the smallest detail, filled with drama. His best works are "Battle of Austerlitz", "Robber Barbone fighting off Carabinieri", "Catching horses in Wallachia", "Battle of Wörgl", "Bivouac of the Austrians". In the photo - a picture of the battle near Smolensk.

Alphonse de Neuville

A prominent representative of French battle painting is Alphonse de Neuville, whose debut took place in 1859 with the painting "The Battalion of Riflemen on the Battery of Gervais". He took part in the war of 1870 as a second lieutenant in the Paris battalion of mobiles, and then in the headquarters of General Kaye. He thoroughly studied the nature of hostilities, and then embodied them in his paintings.

The canvases of the French master of battle painting are distinguished by sincere patriotic enthusiasm and he althy realism. He rarely painted large-scale pictures of battles, mass campaigns, etc., preferring individual episodes. His works are full of movement, penetration with a complete absence of sugariness. Occasionally, one can observe cheerful notes, which are a manifestation of a trait of a national character, and they not only do not spoil the impression, but, on the contrary, add life to the pictures. The most famous canvases: "Last Ammo" (pictured), "Spy", "Battle of Rorke's Drift", "Battle ofChampignons.”

Battle painting by Russian artists and European, American masters is a rather young genre that has manifested itself over the past 3-4 centuries. It is incredibly dynamic, bright, sometimes brutally realistic. One thing is clear that he does not leave indifferent. Someone admires a well-built composition of hundreds of human figures, horses and guns, others - the skill of drawing the smallest details, and still others - the energy message that the pictures carry.