War and Art: A Visual History of Modern Conflict
Joanna Bourke
(Editor)
Description
In times of crisis, we often turn to artists for truth-telling and memory-keeping. There is no greater crisis than war, and in this sumptuously illustrated volume, we find a comprehensive visual, cultural, and historical account of the ways in which armed conflict has been represented by artists. Covering the last two centuries, from the Crimean War to the present day, the book shows how the artistic portrayal of war has changed, from a celebration of heroic exploits to a more modern, troubled, and perhaps truthful depiction of warfare and its consequences. The book investigates broad patterns as well as specific genres and themes of war art, and features more than 400 color illustrations by artists including Paul Nash, Judy Chicago, Pablo Picasso, Melanie Friend, Marc Chagall, Francis Bacon, K the Kollwitz, Joseph Beuys, Yves Klein, Robert Rauschenberg, Dora Meeson, Otto Dix, and many others. The volume also highlights the work of often overlooked artists, including children, non-Europeans, and prisoners of war. A wide range of subjects, from front-line combat to behind-the-lines wartime experiences are represented in paintings, etchings, photography, film, digital art, comics, and graffiti. Edited and with an introduction by Joanna Bourke, War and Art features essays written by premier experts in the field. This extensive survey is a fitting and timely contribution to our understanding of art, memory, and commemoration of war.Product Details
Price
$55.00
$51.15
Publisher
Reaktion Books
Publish Date
November 15, 2017
Pages
400
Dimensions
8.5 X 1.6 X 11.1 inches | 3.95 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781780238463
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Joanna Bourke is professor of history at Birkbeck, University of London, and Global Innovations Chair at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She is the author of many books including An Intimate History of Killing, Fear: A Cultural History, The Story of Pain: From Prayer to Painkillers, and Wounding the World: How Military Violence and War-Play are Invading our Lives.
Reviews
"Through the angle of a visual history embracing a wider specter, the book reviews canonical artworks, children's drawings, video games, and mural paintings in abandoned fortifications. . . . Bourke also encourages us to question the political and ideological dimensions of war."--Jérôme Bazin "Critique d'art"
"This is a large, abundantly well-illustrated book. . . . Recommended for all academic libraries."--Amy Lucker, New York University Library "ARLIS/NA Reviews"
"The traumas and tragedies of war should never be underestimated or forgotten. They change lives--combatants' and noncombatants'--in unimaginable ways with far-reaching and generational effects. Artists provide visual representations and reminders of the scope and horrors of war. The platitude 'a picture is worth a thousand words' is vividly reaffirmed in War and Art. The book surveys war art of the last two centuries, from the Crimean War through the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. . . . War and Art is an ambitious and captivating survey of the art and commemoration of war. Its readers will not be disappointed."--Timothy J. Demy, US Naval War College "Michigan War Studies Review"
"This exciting collection of original and beautifully illustrated essays is essential reading for anyone interested in the visual representation of war in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries."--Sir Richard Evans, president of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge "author of The Third Reich at War"
"This ambitious volume will be a landmark in the study of war as well as in visual culture studies."--Peter Burke, Emmanuel College "author of The Third Reich at War"
"What happens when you encourage a group of archivists, archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians of all sorts into the terrain of war art? An extraordinary collection, exhilarating in its ways of seeing, consistently moving in its attention to artists and the audiences--soldiers and statesmen; men, women, and children--for war's pity and terror."--Carolyn Steedman FBA, University of Warwick "author of The Third Reich at War"
"Beautifully illustrated and covers everything from the often neglected role of women artists to the strange decorations found in Cold War bunkers; from the works of some of the most notable war artists to questions about history and memory. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the art of war, and in our complex human responses to the violence of conflict and the commemoration of battle."--Alexandra Richie, author of Faust's Metropolis: A History of Berlin and Warsaw 1944: Hitler, Himmler, and the Warsaw Uprising "author of The Third Reich at War"
"This is a large, abundantly well-illustrated book. . . . Recommended for all academic libraries."--Amy Lucker, New York University Library "ARLIS/NA Reviews"
"The traumas and tragedies of war should never be underestimated or forgotten. They change lives--combatants' and noncombatants'--in unimaginable ways with far-reaching and generational effects. Artists provide visual representations and reminders of the scope and horrors of war. The platitude 'a picture is worth a thousand words' is vividly reaffirmed in War and Art. The book surveys war art of the last two centuries, from the Crimean War through the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. . . . War and Art is an ambitious and captivating survey of the art and commemoration of war. Its readers will not be disappointed."--Timothy J. Demy, US Naval War College "Michigan War Studies Review"
"This exciting collection of original and beautifully illustrated essays is essential reading for anyone interested in the visual representation of war in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries."--Sir Richard Evans, president of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge "author of The Third Reich at War"
"This ambitious volume will be a landmark in the study of war as well as in visual culture studies."--Peter Burke, Emmanuel College "author of The Third Reich at War"
"What happens when you encourage a group of archivists, archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians of all sorts into the terrain of war art? An extraordinary collection, exhilarating in its ways of seeing, consistently moving in its attention to artists and the audiences--soldiers and statesmen; men, women, and children--for war's pity and terror."--Carolyn Steedman FBA, University of Warwick "author of The Third Reich at War"
"Beautifully illustrated and covers everything from the often neglected role of women artists to the strange decorations found in Cold War bunkers; from the works of some of the most notable war artists to questions about history and memory. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the art of war, and in our complex human responses to the violence of conflict and the commemoration of battle."--Alexandra Richie, author of Faust's Metropolis: A History of Berlin and Warsaw 1944: Hitler, Himmler, and the Warsaw Uprising "author of The Third Reich at War"
