Art of War for Goya
The 'art of war' generally refers to the strategic planning and conduct during declared and open combat operations. The science of military command asserted by General Ulysses S. Grant reflects a confident and lucid attitude regarding battle: The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving." Despite Grant's seemingly successful prescription for battle, situations of conflict and hostility generate such disorder that even the best intentions can become misconstrued and destroyed. Sentiments towards war enhance dramatically throughout and following a period of contention and are often recorded through artistic mediums, namely poetry, prose, music, and fine art. The artists who creatively convey recollections of war times give new significance to the phrase 'art of war.' Semantic history of the word 'war' mirrors the chaos associated with battle. War can be traced back to the Indo-European root 'wers,' meaning to confuse or mix up. In the Germanic family of the Indo-European languages, this root gave rise to several words having to do with confusion or mixture of various kinds. A courageous painter, Francisco de Goya y Lucientes c
The profound and fearful drawings 'Desastres de la Guerra,' later published as a series of etchings constituted an indictment of human evil and an outrage at a world given over to war and corruption. ' Goya's painting style, characteristically Romantic, incorporates violence, rebellion, and bravery with clarity and a particular application of color. Another dissection of the painting exists in the element of time. Competing unsuccessfully for a scholarship in 1763 and 1766 at the Royal Academy in Madrid to work with the Court Painter Francisco Bayeu, it wasn't until 1771 that Goya became a pupil of Bayeu and received his first official commission. Situated among the Spanish people while focused on the light and directional lines of the rifles, 'Christ' symbolizes courage and faith as well as a loathing for war atrocities and aggression. A line in the sand differentiates the noble countrymen from the harsh French soldiers in the shadows, separating the groups spatially and ethically. After producing some sixty tapestry cartoons and working on several frescoes, Goya was invited to paint one of seven altarpieces for the newly built church of San Francisco el Grande. "As his career progressed, he began to insert and to insinuate himself deeper and deeper, not only into the visual fabric of his works, but into their intellectual, moral, even spiritual fabric" (Ciofalo, 3). Faceless to the viewer, and given a machine-like depiction, the soldiers appear indifferent, apathetic to the victims' defiance or despair. Within these etchings his profound disillusionment displays humanity afflicting itself as many of the occupational armies fight against the Spanish Guerrillas. A monk in prayer alongside the group completes the frame. Goya, at 62, was present during the tragic events of May 2nd and 3rd when the population rose against the French and the uprising was savagely repressed. Goya maintained his work as an official portraitist, painting other influential people while adopting conventional eighteenth century poses. "Goya had set himself a formidable task in offering to portray the event.
Common topics in this essay:
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Acceptance Essays
