Paintings of battles

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Battles are seminal events. The are guide post's in a Nation's memory to be remembered with either pride or humiliation. So it is no surprise that they are memorialized in art. For the artist they provide an opportunity to paint action and great drama. They are full of people, small vignettes of tragedy and allow for very complex composition. 

Take the above painting as an example, with the Commander holding the dying young man, the flag bearer behind him, the riflemen aiming to fire, the determined artillery men at their gun and the priest with his icon in the back all framed by dramatic lighting. Even not knowing what the battle shown was, or who these men were and what their fate was, it tells a simple and clear story.- these are rough men defending their home and hearth.

Below, and after the jump, are more examples of battle paintings. The battles range from antiquity to WW I.