British
Artists and War, The Face
of Battle in Paintings and Prints, 1700-1914 by Peter Harrington
British
Artist and War is an important new reference work, examining how artists
at home and in the field dealt with the subject of war during a period
of more than 200 years, and how these images were perceived by the
public in Britain.
British
Artists and War examines in detail the artistic inspiration an response
to wars throughout the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, including
the Napoleonic wars and Waterloo, the Crimea, the Zulu War and the
Edwardian period to the Opening of the Great War in 1914.
The
author, Peter Harrington, discusses popular themes and imagery in
military art and suggests reasons why certain wars failed to inspire
representation on canvas. He follows the development of the genre, from
early diagrammatic sketches to portraiture and history painting, and
traces the debate on the respective merits of glorification of the
subject and realism: the schools of 'truth in spirit' and of exactly
accurate portrayal of events and scenes were deeply divided.
The
works of the leading artists of the period are analysed, as well as the
influence of Continental artist on British art. The public response to
these prints was closely linked with their accessibility, and the author
gives details of exhibitions, panoramas and appearances in the
illustrated press, and also cites contemporary printed evaluations and
criticism relating to these events. The major illustrated papers of the
19thcentury established their own artists at the battlefields thus
providing graphic material of war for a large audience at home.
The
second part of the British Artists and War is a unique, comprehensive
catalogue of more than 800 surviving oil paintings, depicting soldiers
in battle and on campaign, in public and private collections around the
world, including exhibition and provenance details where known.
