Art Blog: December 2023

01 Work, The Art of War, Mahmoud Affifi's Tarek Ebn Zeyad , with footnotes

Mahmoud Affifi (1920 - 1984)

Tarek Ebn Zeyad, c. 1982

Oil on board

84.5 by 118.5 cm. 33¼ by 46¾ in.

Private collection

Estimated for 4,000 - 6,000 GBP in October 2023

Tariq ibn Ziyad was an Ummayad general of Berber origin who made history in the late seventh, early eighth century. Most biographical records position him as a former slave who slowly gained favours before eventually leading the Ummayad army himself. His prominent role in the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula earned him enduring posterity in both the Arabic and Spanish collective imagination. Tariq is mainly known for having led a large army from the Moroccan Northern shore straight into the heart of Spain, to support the heirs of a Wisigoth king against their local rival during the civil war. His legendary journey left his name to the Strait of Gibraltar (from « djebel Tariq », ‘the Mountain of Tariq’) as well as many popular visual representations (Molina 2000).

This painting is characteristic of Afifi’s “Hard Edge” style, which earned him the nickname of the “Egyptian Rouault”. The strong, thick black lines infuse a strong vitality to the scene, depicting Tariq exhorting his troops moments before the invasion of Spain. Afifi (1920-1984) often used his signature technique to reclaim historic battles as a symbol of regional resistance (Almasar Gallery). Under his brush, the Egyptian spirit of revolution is immortalized, rising again after centuries during the agitated period that Afifi witnessed in Egypt during his lifetime. More on this work

Mahmoud Afifi (b. Alexandria, Egypt) graduated from the Faculty of Arts, 1940; thereafter in 1955 he obtained a diploma in Painting in Rome, Italy. Afifi was guided by the great mentor Hamed Said, who made him join his well known Art Assembly in 1946. Their mission was to go back to the origins and blend with nature. The uniqueness about Afifi’s work is the strong, solid and thick black lines he uses to define the figures, which is known as the “Hard Edge” style.

The legend George Rouault (1871 – 1951) used the same technique thus we call Afifi the “Egyptian Rouault”. Afifi added up about twenty years of experience by working at Al Ghoury Agency till he became the director of the handcrafts Divisions and directed the Society of Al Ghoury Artists after the death of its founder the late sculptor Abdel Hamid Hamdy.

The pulse pf life of the Egyptian people can be noticed in Afifi’s paintings such as romance, family, and recent historical wars. The political events in Egypt were particularly capturing their mind. Thus he went into a phase where he passionately started to symbolize the battles on his canvas where he daringly painted the Egyptian alliance against the enemy such as in the Salah El Din battle and the Rashid battle.

Another phase was sports which started after his participation in the Spain Biennale in the 1960s. The art of Afifi sometimes gives the illusion of joint glass windows while his expressional paintings are full of shape and distinct with grace and proficiency. More on Mahmoud Afifi

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

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01 Work, The Art of War, Theophilos Hatzimihail's Alexander the Great killing Mithridates, with footnotes

Theofilos Hadjimichael (Greek, 1871-1934)

The battle of Alexander the great with Mithridates/The Invasion of Alexander the Great in Persia, c.

Natural pigments on cardboard

70 x 101 cm.

Private collection

Sold for £90,000 on 16 November 2016

Mighty, regal and handsome as an Olympian god, his golden armour flashing lightning, Alexander the Great, riding Bucephalus, his beloved black stallion and one of antiquity's most famous horses, plunges his lance in the body of Mithridatis, a high ranking Persian and son-in-law of king Darius III, at the famous Battle of the Granicus River in 334 BC.

Alexander is clad in the attire of a Roman emperor, including a short blue tunic, gold breastplate and helmet and crimson red cloak. As noted by Y. Tsarouchis, "this outfit known from the folk woodcuts of Erotocritos and the Roman soldiers in 19th c. post-Byzantine icons, is identical to Italian opera costumes, as designed by famed set designers such as Torelli and long before them by such greats as Botticelli and Raphael, when they painted military saints or archangels." More on this work

Theophilos Chatzimichail (born c. 1870, Vareia, near Mytilene, island of Lesbos; died in Vareia, Greece, 24 March 1934), known simply as Theophilos, was a Greek folk painter and major contributor in modern Greek art. The main subject of his works are Greek characters and the illustration of Greek traditional folklore and history.

His life was very hard, partially because people made fun of him since he often wore the fustanella in public. At the age of 18 he abandoned his home and family and worked as a gate-keeper at the Greek consulate in Smyrna.

He stayed in Smyrna for a few years before he settled in the city of Volos in about 1897, searching for occasional work and painting in houses and shops of the area. Many of his murals exist today. His protector during that period was the landholder Giannis Kontos, for whom he did many works. As well as painting, he was also involved in organizing popular theatrical acts for national ceremonies, and in the carnival period he had a major role, sometimes dressing as Alexander the Great, with pupils in Macedonian phalanx formation, and sometimes as a hero of the Greek Revolution, with gear and costumes made by himself.

In 1927 he returned to Mytilene.

In Mytilene, despite the mockery of the people, he continued to draw, painting many murals in villages for little payment, usually for a plate of food and a cup of wine. Many of his works of this period have been lost, either due to natural aging or from damage by the owners.

The renowned art critic and publisher Stratis Eletheriadis (Tériade), who lived in Paris, discovered Theophilos and brought him a great deal of recognition and also international publicity, though posthumous.

Theophilos died in March 1934, on the eve of the Annunciation, perhaps from food poisoning. In 1961, his works were exhibited in the Louvre as a sample of a genuine folk painter of Greece. In 1965, Tériade donated 86 painted works on textile to the Municipality of Lesvos, along with a building that became the Theophilos Museum in Vareia, Lesbos. More on Theophilos Chatzimichail

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01 Work, The Art of War, Pyotr Nikolayevich Gruzinsky's The abandonment of the village by the mountaineers, with footnotes

Pyotr Nikolayevich Gruzinsky (1837-1892)

The abandonment of the village by the mountaineers as the Russian troops approached, c. 1872

I have no further information on this work at this time

During the Russo-Circassian War, the Russian Empire employed a genocidal strategy of massacring Circassian civilians. Only a small percentage who accepted Russification and resettlement within the Russian Empire were completely spared. The remaining Circassian population who refused were variously dispersed or killed en masse. Circassian villages would be located and burnt, systematically starved, or their entire population massacred. Leo Tolstoy reported that Russian soldiers would attack village houses at night. William Palgrave, a British diplomat who witnessed the events, adds that "their only crime was not being Russian". More on the Circassian genocide

Prince Pyotr Nikolayevich Gruzinsky (1837–1892) was a Russian painter of royal Georgian origin. Pyotr painted landscapes and genre paintings, and was also known for his paintings of battle scenes from the Caucasus War.

He was the son of Prince Nikoloz Gruzinsky and a scion of Mukhrani royal line of the Bagrationi dynasty that had moved to Imperial Russia in the 18th century. Pyotr Nikolayevich Gruzinsky was the last direct male descendant of King Vakhtang VI of Kartli and the last in the Mukhrani royal line. More on Pyotr Nikolayevich Gruzinsky

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01 Work, The Art of War, Nikolai Kolupaev's Victory Banner, with footnotes

Nikolai Kolupaev, 1941
Victory Banner

I have no further description, at this time

This painting was dedicated to the heroes of 1941. To those who thwarted the German blitzkrieg plan. To those who died a brave death for their Motherland, fighting to the last bullet. And he cherished our battle banner like a shrine, like the hero of this picture. They did not see the Victory, but without them the Berlin operation of 1945 would have been simply impossible...

Nikolai Kolupaev is not only a battle painter. He, a representative of the post-war generation, feels the trench truth of war like no one else. The truth of our fathers and grandfathers. And this picture - part of the diptych - is the most tragic and bright. Because the valor and feat of the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army are immortal. More on this painting

Nikolai Kolupaev - People's Artist of the Russian Federation, professor, member of the Moscow Union of Artists. Participant of numerous exhibitions. Laureate of the Russian Art Gallery Award. In 2014 he created stained-glass windows for the arches of the building of the Ministry of Defense of Russian Federation on naberezhnaya Frunzenskaya. In 2015 he was awarded the Honorary Diploma of the President of Russia. The artist's works are housed in the Kiev National Museum of Russian Art, Orel Picture Gallery and Belgorod Museum of Art. More on Nikolai Kolupaev

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01 Work, The Art of War, Irina Baldina's Natasha Kachuevskaya - Red Army heroine of the Battle of Stalingrad, with footnotes

Irina Baldina

Natasha Kachuevskaya - Red Army heroine of the Battle of Stalingrad (1984)

I have no further description, at this time

On November 19, 1942, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive in the Stalingrad area, and the next day, November 20, 1942, during the counteroffensive of the 28th Army south of the village of Khulkhut, already in the rear of the advancing Soviet troops, a group of German soldiers leaving the encirclement stumbled across a dugout where hid the wounded Red Army soldiers.

Taking weapons from the wounded, Natalya Kachuevskaya attacked the enemy from the flank dragging them into the steppe from the dugout with the wounded. With her feat, Natalya Kachuevskaya saved the lives of twenty wounded soldiers. In battle, she killed several German soldiers, and when the enemies surrounded her, she blew herself up with the last grenade along with the approaching fascists, mortally wounding herself.

The painting "Heroine of Stalingrad Battle" was made in 1984 by her classmate Irina Baldina. More on Natalya Kachuevskaya

Irina Mikhailovna Baldina (May 18, 1922 – January 15, 2009) was a Soviet Russian painter who lived and worked in Leningrad, was a member of the Saint Petersburg Union of Artists (before 1992 the Leningrad branch of Union of Artists of the Russian Federation), and is regarded as a representative of the Leningrad school of painting.

Irina was born May 18, 1922, in Moscow. In 1940-1941 she studied at the Moscow Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts. In 1945, after the Great Patriotic war, Baldin was admitted to the Department of Painting of the Repin Institute of Arts in Leningrad.

In 1947 she married Alexei Eriomin (1919–1998), in the future well-known Russian painter, People's Artist of the Russian Federation. In 1948 she had a daughter, Natalia, who later also graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Leningrad and became a painter.

Since 1951 Baldina was a permanent exhibitor of the Leningrad Art exhibitions, where she showed her work along with works by the leading masters of fine arts of Leningrad. She worked mostly as a painter in genre of portrait, landscape, and still life. In 1957 she was admitted in the Leningrad Union of Soviet Artists.

Irina Mikhailovna Baldina died on January 15, 2009, in Saint Petersburg at the eighty-seventh year of life. Paintings by Irina Baldina reside in Art museums and private collections in the Russia, France, Finland, the United States, Japan, Germany, England, and other countries. More on Irina Mikhailovna Baldina

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01 Work, The Art of War, John Trumbull's The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec, with footnotes

John Trumbull (American, 1756–1843)

The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec, December 31, 1775, c. 1786

Oil on canvas

24 5/8 × 37 in. (62.5 × 94 cm)

Yale University

Here Trumbull memorializes the death of a hero of the American campaign against the British in Canada. The diagonal composition, contrasts of light and dark, use of blazing colors, and depiction of action close to the picture surface all heighten the drama. Major General Richard Montgomery had tried to enter Quebec during a blizzard, but after part of his army deserted, British and Canadian troops ambushed the Americans. Wounded by a cannon blast, Montgomery dies in the arms of Matthias Ogden. The snow-covered earth, trees stripped bare of their foliage, and gloom of night underscore the American soldiers’ grief and shock. More on this painting

John Trumbull, (born June 6, 1756, Lebanon, Connecticut, U.S.—died November 10, 1843, New York, New York), American painter, architect, and author, whose paintings of major episodes in the American Revolution form a unique record of that conflict’s events and participants.

After graduating from Harvard College in 1773, he worked as a teacher. During the American Revolution he served as an aide to General George Washington and achieved the rank of colonel.

In 1780 Trumbull went to London via France, but, in reprisal for the hanging of the British agent Major John André by the Americans, he was imprisoned there. Once released, he returned home but subsequently went back to London by 1784 to study with the painter Benjamin West.

At the suggestion of West and with the encouragement of Thomas Jefferson, Trumbull about 1784 began the celebrated series of historical paintings and engravings that he was to work on sporadically for the remainder of his life. From 1789 he was in the United States, but he returned to London in 1794 as secretary to John Jay. He remained there for 10 years. Moving back and forth between England and the United States, in 1808 he attempted portrait painting in London but met with little success. From 1815 to 1837 he maintained a rather unsuccessful studio in New York City.

In 1817 Trumbull was commissioned by the U.S. Congress to paint four large pictures in the Rotunda of the Capitol at Washington, D.C.: General George Washington Resigning His Commission, Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, Surrender of General Burgoyne, and, best known of all, Declaration of Independence. This series, which he completed in 1824, was based on the small and superior originals of these scenes that he had painted in the 1780s and ’90s. In 1831 Benjamin Silliman, a professor at Yale, established the Trumbull Gallery at Yale, the first art gallery at an educational institution in America. Trumbull gave his best works to this gallery in exchange for an annuity. More on John Trumbull

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01 Work, The Art of War, Peter Janssen's Hermann (Arminius) at the battle of the Teutoburg Forest , with footnotes

Peter Janssen (1844–1908)

Hermann (Arminius) at the battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE, c. 1873

Oil on canvas

Kunstmuseen Krefeld

The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, described as the Varian Disaster by Roman historians, was a major battle between Germanic tribes and the Roman Empire that took place at modern Kalkriese from September 8–11, 9 AD, when an alliance of Germanic peoples ambushed Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius Varus. The alliance was led by Arminius, a Germanic officer of Varus's auxilia. Arminius had acquired Roman citizenship and had received a Roman military education, which enabled him to deceive the Roman commander methodically and anticipate the Roman army's tactical responses.

Teutoburg Forest is commonly seen as one of the most important defeats in Roman history, bringing the triumphant period of expansion under Augustus to an abrupt end. The outcome of this battle dissuaded the Romans from their ambition of conquering Germania, and is thus considered one of the most important events in European history, More on The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest,

Johann Peter Theodor Janssen (12 December 1844, Düsseldorf – 19 February 1908, Düsseldorf) was a German historical painter.

Janssen was born in Düsseldorf, son of the engraver Tamme Weyert Theodor Janssen [de] (1817–1894), by whom he was first instructed before studying at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Karl Ferdinand Sohn and Eduard Bendemann. He is principally known through a series of decorative works whose monumental style and sound naturalism won him a reputation as one of the foremost historical painters of his time. He became a professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in 1877 and its director in 1895, and was elected a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in 1885. More on Johann Peter Theodor Janssen

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01 Work, The Art of War, Vasily Vereshchagin's Memorial service for the dead, with footnotes

Vasily Vereshchagin (1842–1904)

Memorial service for the dead (1877-1878)

Oil on canvas

State Tretyakov Gallery

The siege of Plevna or Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of Russian Empire and Kingdom of Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at Svishtov, it began advancing towards the centre of modern Bulgaria, with the aim of crossing the Balkan Mountains to Constantinople, avoiding the fortified Turkish fortresses on the Black Sea coast. The Ottoman army led by Osman Pasha, returning from Serbia after a conflict with that country, was massed in the fortified city of Pleven, a city surrounded by numerous redoubts, located at an important road intersection.

Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin, Vereshchagin also spelled Verestchagin, (born October 14, 1842, Cherepovets, Russia—died March 31, 1904, Port Arthur, China), was a Russian painter noted for his war scenes.

Vereshchagin attended the St. Petersburg Academy and studied in Paris. Devoting his life to travel, he acquired subjects for paintings from on-the-spot impressions in the Caucasus, in Crimea, along the Danube River, and in Turkistan with the Russian army. In the Balkans during the Russo-Turkish War Vereshchagin was provided with the themes for some of his famous war pictures. He also painted in Syria and in Palestine and between 1885 and 1903 traveled in Russia, the United States, and Japan. He died during the Russo-Japanese War, aboard the flagship of Admiral Stepan Osipovich Makarov.

Vereshchagin’s paintings of scenes during the invasion of Russia by Napoleon in 1812 enjoyed extraordinary popularity; innumerable reproductions of them were made. The pacifist and humanitarian movement of the time made use of his painting of a pyramid of skulls (“Apotheosis of War,” 1871; State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). His works are to be seen in Moscow at the State Tretyakov Gallery and in St. Petersburg at the State Museum of Russian Art. More on Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin

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01 Work, The Art of War, Vassily Surikov's The conquest of Siberia by Yermak, with footnotes

Vassily Surikov

The conquest of Siberia by Yermak

Oil on canvas

599 × 285 cm

Russian Museum (Saint Petersburg)

Vasily Ivanovich Surikov had been working on this colossal painting for four years and even undertook long trips to the places relevant for the topic of the picture. The painting depicts the final battle of Yermak’s brigade with the vast hordes of enemies under the command of khan Kuchum in 1582. Surikov sees this battle as an act of people’s heroism and connects Yermak’s campaign as a part of national liberation struggle of the Russians against the conquerors. Surikov shows the culmination of the battle to add a more dramatic edge to this historical event. In the left one can see the avant-garde of the Cossacks that is given special compositions emphasis. The Cossacks form a powerful wedge-shaped group that literally cuts into the enemy’s ranks. Surikov underlines a strong connection between Yermak and his soldiers and depicts them in a single battle urge. Kuchum’s patchy army is pressed to the clayey river bank, and we can see panic growing among the soldiers. Surikov pays special attention to character development. In the diverse crowd one can distinguish Cossacks with sharply delineated faces and fiery eyes. The artist viewed these brave, composed, and confident people as an ideal historical type that Siberia has brought up in him. Repin wrote: “The impression from this picture is so unbelievably mighty…The viewers are just stunned, and their imagination is defied”. More on this painting

Vasily Ivanovich Surikov (24 January 1848 – 19 March 1916) was a Russian Realist history painter. Many of his works have become familiar to the general public through their use as illustrations.

He was born to an old Yenisei Cossack family descending from Don Cossacks that had settled in Siberia. His father was a Collegiate Registrar, a civil service rank that often served as postmasters. In 1854, as a result of his father being reassigned, the family moved to the village of Sukhobuzimskoye, where he began his primary education.

In 1859, his father died of tuberculosis so the family returned to Krasnoyarsk and were forced to rent the second floor of their house to survive financially. He began drawing while attending the district school and was encouraged by the local art teacher. His first formal work dates from 1862, but his family could not afford to continue his education, and he became a clerk in a government office. This brought him into contact with Pavel Zamyatin, the governor of Yenisei, who was able to find him a patron: Pyotr Kuznetsov, a local merchant who owned several small gold mines.

In 1868, he rode on horseback to Saint Petersburg but was unable to qualify for admission to the Imperial Academy of Arts, so he studied at the drawing school of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. After a year there, he was allowed to audit classes at the academy and became a full-time pupil toward the end of 1869.

From 1869 to 1875, he studied with Pavel Chistyakov, Bogdan Willewalde, and Pyotr Shamshin, winning several medals. His great attention to composition earned him the nickname "The Composer". In 1875, he graduated with the title of Artist, first degree. More on Vasily Ivanovich Surikov

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01 Work, The Art of War, François Joseph Heim's Defeat of the Cimbri and the Teutons by Marius, with footnotes

François Joseph Heim, French (Belfort 1787 - 1865 Paris)

Previously Théodore Chassériau, French (Ste. Barbe de Samana, S. America 1819 - 1856 Paris)

Defeat of the Cimbri and the Teutons by Marius, c. 1853

Oil on canvas

59.4 x 72.1 cm (23 3/8 x 28 3/8 in.)

Harvard University Art Museums

"The Defeat of the Teutons and the Cimbri by Gaius Marius, " a historical masterpiece painted by Francois Joseph Heim. The artwork depicts a pivotal moment in ancient history when Roman general Gaius Marius triumphed over the Germanic tribes during their invasion. In this intense scene, we witness an epic clash between two worlds as warriors from both sides engage in fierce combat. The painting vividly captures the chaos and brutality of battle, with each stroke conveying raw emotion and determination. Gaius Marius stands tall at the forefront, embodying strength and leadership as he leads his troops against the invading forces. His strategic prowess is evident as he strategically slays his enemies while commanding his soldiers to victory.

The Germanic tribe members fiercely resist, fighting for their survival against overwhelming odds. This confrontation symbolizes not only a clash of armies but also a clash of cultures and ideologies. Heim's masterful use of oil on paper on canvas brings life to this historic event that forever changed Europe's course. Through this image, viewers are transported back in time to witness firsthand one of Rome's greatest military victories. This print serves as a visual reminder of humanity's eternal struggle for power and dominance throughout history—a testament to mankind's unyielding spirit even in times of conflict and adversity. More on The Defeat of the Teutons and the Cimbri by Gaius Marius

François-Joseph Heim - Born near Belfort in 1787, died in Paris in 1865. This clever painter commenced work when eight years old and gained the first prize for drawing in Strasbourg before he was eleven. He was a pupil of François-André Vincent in 1803, his people having sent him to Paris to receive the best instruction they could afford. In 1807 he won a prize at the Académie with a picture of Theseus and the Minotaur [above], and a travelling scholarship with which he went to Rome. On his return to Paris he carried off the gold medal at the Académie, became a full member in 1829, and a professor in 1831. He was appointed painter to the Institut de France and exhibited over sixty portraits of members, the drawings for which are now in the Louvre. His historical and religious paintings were very attractive. More on François-Joseph Heim

Théodore Chassériau (September 20, 1819 – October 8, 1856) was a Dominican-born French Romantic painter noted for his portraits, historical and religious paintings, allegorical murals, and Orientalist images inspired by his travels to Algeria. Early in his career he painted in a Neoclassical style close to that of his teacher Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, but in his later works he was strongly influenced by the Romantic style of Eugène Delacroix. He was a prolific draftsman, and made a suite of prints to illustrate Shakespeare's Othello. The portrait he painted at the age of 15 of Prosper Marilhat, makes Théodore Chassériau the youngest painter exhibited at the Louvre museum. More on Théodore Chassériau

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02 Works, The Art of War, Barnaby Furnas' Untitled (Antietam) l & II, with footnotes

Barnaby Furnas

Antietam I, 2007

Urethane and Guerra water dispersed pigments on linen

274.3 x 457.2 cm, 108 x 180 in

Private collection

Barnaby Furnas

Untitled (Antietam) II, 2008

Acrylic, color pencil on linen

98 x 156 inches 248.9 x 396.2 cm

Private collection

Barnaby Furnas often depicts Civil War scenes as a way of exploring the issues of politics, gender, race and division. Painting Untitled (Antietam) presents a huge Civil War battle scene depicted through an array of clashing U.S. and Confederate flags. The intervening of conflicting motifs and layers of paint make this art piece almost a tactile experience. More on this painting

“I thought the Civil War would be a way that I could get closer to issues like racial violence, racism…” said artist Barnaby Furnas. Reminiscent of a Futurist work, Furnas’ painting is a massive, tactile battle scene illustrated through the clashing of U.S. and Confederate flags. More on this painting

Drawing on history and culture, Barnaby Furnas creates restless, radiant paintings chronicling crescendos of excitement – religious, political, sexual – as they career towards tipping points of deliriously uncertain outcome. The active moment versus painting's innate stillness has been a central tenet of paintings whose subjects include the Creation myth, Civil War-era battles and high-octane stadium rock gigs. His are at once brutal and elegant works, bound up with the excesses of the world yet brought into being through the prism of art history. From Cubism's fracturing of the picture plane, through Futurism's attempts to capture movement, via 'blood and guts' outpourings of Abstract Expressionist and the transcendental spaces of colour field painting, Furnas entwines history with art history in provocative combinations of narrative and form.

Process is essential to Furnas' compositions, with content following form as the artist endeavours to make paintings that are analogous in their construction to how they function in the world. Pitched between depicted action and the act of painting, paint's illusory potential and its materiality, Furnas's work always imparts a visceral hit while drawing attention to its own manufacture. In his rock concert paintings, for example, impeccably crafted confusions of foreground and background, or picture planes traversed by lattices of stage light beams snag the eye, creating a pictorial equivalent of the heady confusion of the arena. In other works filigrees of painted bullet holes seem to pepper the surface, their Rorschach-like arrangements intimating a frenzied psychological dimension in tandem with the depicted scene. Furnas’ Flood paintings, such as Red Sea Parting, 2006, and Last Day (Red to Black in 6 Parts), 2013, raise the stakes on colour field painting, rendering it overwhelming, apocalyptic. "A painting is interesting to me to the degree that I can integrate myself in its making,” Furnas says. "The paintings are at their most engaging when they are making themselves." More on Barnaby Furnas

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02 Works, The Art of War, Théodore Chassériau's Battle of Arab Horsemen and Carrying Away Their Dead, with footnotes

Théodore Chassériau

Battle of Arab Horsemen, c. 1855

Oil on panel

31.8 × 45.7 cm (12 1/2 × 18 in.)

Harvard University Art Museums

Chassériau composed this scene after spending two months in Algeria in 1846. Like Eugène Delacroix, whose work he admired, Chassériau drew artistic inspiration from his experiences in North Africa. Unlike the older painter, who produced numerous fictional illustrations after his travels in Morocco, Chassériau promoted the documentary portrayal of the “Orient.”

Théodore Chassériau

Arab Horsemen Carrying Away Their Dead, c. 1850

Oil on panel

168.9 x 251.8 cm (66 1/2 x 99 1/8 in.)

Harvard University Art Museums

Here he notes the brutality of the African battlefield — likely a reference to the violent clashes between Algeria’s Arab population and the French colonialists. Although he championed realistic representations, Chassériau here employs classical compositional strategies. He divides the scene into three distinct planes, placing a field of corpses in the foreground, a convoy of horsemen behind them, and a rugged landscape in the background. Draped in a chalky white robe evocative of the mountains beyond, the centrally positioned Arab rises above the rest of the scene, a figure of human courage and endurance. More on this painting

Théodore Chassériau (September 20, 1819 – October 8, 1856) was a Dominican-born French Romantic painter noted for his portraits, historical and religious paintings, allegorical murals, and Orientalist images inspired by his travels to Algeria. Early in his career he painted in a Neoclassical style close to that of his teacher Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, but in his later works he was strongly influenced by the Romantic style of Eugène Delacroix. He was a prolific draftsman, and made a suite of prints to illustrate Shakespeare's Othello. The portrait he painted at the age of 15 of Prosper Marilhat, makes Théodore Chassériau the youngest painter exhibited at the Louvre museum. More on Théodore Chassériau

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

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