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Art of War , livre ebook

Parkstone International - Victoria Charles , Sun Tzu

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256 pages

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Over the course of history, many wars have changed the political and cultural landscape of our world. While these events are defined by their upheaval and violence, they frequently contribute to the formation of the identity of entire generations or groups of people, and thus have significant cultural effects. Despite the physical and emotional destruction that occurs during these turbulent periods, they have inspired prolific artistic creation. In the wake of traumatic events over the centuries, a myriad of artists have produced works that immortalise the most dramatic moments of these wars in order to establish them in history forever.
This book presents beautiful images depicting famous battles and war scenes, accompanied by the iconic text of the legendary Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, as well as texts documenting notable moments of different wars, each written by well-known writers. From Uccello’s The Battle of San Romano to Picasso’s Guernica, this work offers a captivating look at artworks inspired by war and what they reveal about humanity’s history.

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Publié par	Parkstone International
Date de parution	08 mai 2012
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781780428765
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	47 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0598€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

ART

WAR

Sun Tzu & Victoria Charles

Authors: Victoria Charles and Sun Tzu

Layout: Baseline Co. Ltd 61A-63A Vo Van Tan Street th 4 Floor District 3, Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam

© Dawn at the Alamo, CHA 1989.81 Courtesy State Preservation Board, Austin, Texas (pp. 200-203) © Estate of Pablo Picasso/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, USA (pp. 248-249) © Crown copyright, Imperial War Museum, London; Q3545, Q3014, Q3990 (pp. 230, 232-233, 235) © Salvador Dalí, Gala Salvador Dalí Foundation/ Artists Rights Society, New York, USA (p. 242)

Courtesy of Conseil Régional de Basse-Normandie/ National Archives USA (pp. 231, 236.1, 236.2, 237, 238, 239.1, 239.2, 240.1, 240.2, 241)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or adapted without the permission of the copyright holder, throughout the world. Unless otherwise specified, copyright on the works reproduced lies with the respective photographers, artists, heirs or estates. Despite intensive research, it has not always been possible to establish copyright ownership. Where this is the case, we would appreciate notification.

ISBN: 978-1-78042-876-5

Victoria Charles and Sun Tzu

ART

WAR

Contents

Introduction

Chronology

Mythological Battles

Antiquity to Christianisation of the Roman Empire

Dark and Middle Ages

Early Modern Age to Wars for European Dominance

The Napoleonic Wars

th Conflicts of the 19 Century

The World Wars

War and Abstraction

Bibliography

Index

111

167

197

231

243

250

251

Introduction

he art of war” – the first association people have with this term, has, not surprisingly, nothing to do with art tre“atiseThe Art of War. Generally attributed to Chinese general but everything to do with war: the ancient military Sun Tzu (depending on transliteration also Sun Wu or Sunzi), the book was written in feudal China, roughly 400 to 200 years before Christ. On a side note, depending on the scholarly point of view, the writings – which already had garnered a certain reputation by the time of the so-called Warring States Period – were either written by Sun Tzu alone, with minor annotations after his death from other military thinkers, or alternatively modified and co-written by other Chinese military strategists as well. Whichever way, they provide a broad collection of proverbs concerning key aspects of warfare. Infused with Taoist philosophy, the treatise does not only provide pragmatic advice on such things as military spending or marching order, but is first and foremost meant as educative literature for the ambitious leader. Interestingly enough it does not cover all aspects of warfare in precise detail, as a first-time reader might expect. Instead, many of these thematically arranged proverbs are primarily meant to teach the ideal military leader how to develop a keen eye for the intricacies of leading men and analysing circumstances. On occasion Sun Tzu and his co-authors do provide very specific advice on how to act in different situations and how to interpret different warning signs, but the overall purpose remains one of facilitating a way of thought. In short, it concerns itself more with overall strategy, to a minor degree with logistics and the least with tactics. These characteristics are what make the ancient writings even today popular among military officers, businessmen, historians and military hobbyists, who revere the book for its timeless wisdom that remains applicable and even transferable to other domains,

such as business, in an age that differs so fundamentally to the era in which the original was written.

The title of this art book has, of course, been chosen intentionally to invoke the Chinese general and his writings. While the primary purpose is to showcase art that has been inspired by war, it is also meant to be a chronology of important and decisive battles in the history of the world. In this context, we want to apply the general’s wisdom to the wars that have been fought throughout the ages, whether the factions involved have acted according to them or whether they have shown an almost criminal neglect of the most basic principles of warfare. Of course, their application is not based on a deep military or historical analysis, but it is rather meant as an inspiration for the reader to delve into the history and circumstances as well as Sun Tzu’s writing him- or herself. Beginning with one of the earliest armed conflicts, the Battle of Kadesh, this book visits battlefields from the ever war-torn landscapes of Europe to the more inconspicuous battlegrounds in the frozen wastes of Finland or the scorching deserts of the Middle East and ends its grand tour with the wars that changed the understanding of war and warfare forever: the World Wars. Every conflict is accompanied by artwork, either contemporary or retrospective, meant to show how the depiction of war changed (or remained the same) throughout the centuries.

MillenniaofWar

Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.

Édouard Detaille,Attack of French Hussars at Gravelotte, 16 August 1870, 1890. Oil on canvas, 480 x 320 cm. Musée de l’Armée, Paris.

Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

To make a list of all the wars, battles or minor armed conflicts that humanity has ever fought throughout its history, would be go beyond the scope of the possible. For one, we can say for certain that not all conflicts have been recorded or handed down in history and not all accounts of those battles that have been committed to the collective memory of mankind, are above scrutiny. One of the most famous truisms expresses this by saying that “history is written by the victor”, which seems to cast a shadow of doubt over those eras of human history that are less well documented. How many minor conflicts have fallen through the cracks of the stage that is history? How many records have been written by historians who were mired too much in their culture and perspective? For the moment, these questions remain unanswerable. What is left, is to trust sources with a claim to relative objectivity. Thus, no book can ever claim to include a full account of the history of warfare. What can be done, however, is to select among the most incisive conflicts that are known to us. This is exactly what this book is trying to accomplish. To give an overview of the battles which have shaped civilisation in general or, sometimes, specific cultures. In choosing which conflicts to represent, not only the scope of the conflict was a decisive criterion, but also other aspects, such as the application of new technology, cunning tactical manoeuvres, tales of individual bravery or political background. For this purpose, the writings of various scholars and authors have been chosen to create a reading experience that includes both contemporary and classic perspectives on the various conflicts.

The texts are not meant to give a perfectly detailed account of every battle but are rather accompanying pieces to the artwork, giving a glimpse of the events surrounding the battle or the actual fighting itself. Due to their age, some of these descriptions adopt a point of view that is either outdated by scholarly standards or still rooted in the last century,

where war was not yet the subject of scrutiny it is today. While it is acknowledged that there is a fundamental problem in relying upon historical accounts or retrospective analyses which exhibit a more or less obvious bias, there is still a benefit to be gleaned from examining those kinds of texts. At the very least they will reveal the perspectives prevalent in the minds of many historiographers or scholars throughout theirs centuries and offer an outlook into an age when war was regarded as either a perfectly valid method of expansion, a battle of wits between cultured men or a tool of natural selection.

PortrayingWarinArt

While most battles that will be shown in this art book have been chosen for their role in the history of civilisation, the selection is also distinctly governed by the “canvas”, meaning that a share of the conflicts, despite lacking the majority of criteria that earned other battles a spot in the book, have been chosen because their artistic representation contributes to the understanding of the purpose of war-inspired art. Assuming that war art is not simplyl’art pour l’art, it stands to reason that the creation of battle paintings always served a specific purpose. Be it glorification, criticism, documentation or the exercise of artistic self-expression.

Needless to say, the depiction of war has certainly changed over the centuries, not only because the preferred media of display changed, e.g. from wall carvings to wall mosaics to illuminated manuscripts, but also because the understanding of war shifted over the centuries. One of the few constants, however, was and is the “propaganda value” of war depiction. Be it the aforementioned wall paintings, namely the depiction of victorious Ramesses II at the Battle of Kadesh (p. 27), the sculpted battle scenes on Trajan’s Column or the oil painting of Napoleon at the Battle of the Pyramids (pp. 176-177), their purpose remains the same: a glorification of a military leader or a celebration of military exploits.

This characteristic naturally also brings with it a certain amount of falsification – to use the conflict at Kadesh as an example again: the only (visual) account of the battle that has survived is Egyptian, which is thus certainly not unbiased. Furthermore, the relief shows Ramesses II as the conqueror of the Hittite people, which is, historically speaking, not quite true. Although the battle was enormous in its proportions, especially considering the epoch, it did not decisively end the conflict between the two peoples. In fact, Ramesses was not the glorious architect of the downfall of the Hittite empire at all. Rather, the constant raids of a yet unidentified seafaring culture weakened the empire to such a degree that they could not maintain power in the region.

In contrast, Napoleon does not need any exaggeration of his deeds. His military genius is indisputable, as his campaigns through Europe prove just too well. Paintings of his exploits, however, show another aspect that pervades centuries of war art. In the majority of paintings detailing the Napoleonic Wars, he occupies the central spot in the composition. The way he is shown is reverent, sometimes almost affectionate. He is always portrayed as being calm and serene – an unshakeable military leader. The figures of enemies in these paintings display the tendency to fall to their knees or on their backs, recoiling in horror and awe from this magnificent, unconquerable foe. In short, he becomes a messianic figure, guiding France towards its destiny.

This raises the question about whether war-inspired art was ever meant to be or ever could be purely documentary. Since most of the contemporary accounts and depictions, were created or commissioned by the victor, it certainly entails a perspective that shows the victorious side of the conflict in a more favourable light.

Then there are those depictions that show events that had happened decades or centuries earlier. Apart from the fact that artists conjuring a scene from a past battle have to rely on older accounts, there is almost always an artistic reason for the re-visitation: Classicism, for example, is famous for

idealising the art and history of ancient Greece while the Russian realist painters chose scenes from their country’s history to create a patriotic aesthetic that celebrates the spirit and the accomplishments of the Russian people. This leads to a certain “romanticisation” of events that ignores the less sympathetic (or outright horrific) details to focus on what is perceived as the glorious aspect of war. Taking a masterpiece painting from Ilya Repin as an example, that in itself is not a direct battle painting, but shows a well-known war-host of cossacks that th enjoyed immense popularity in 18 century Russia:Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks(1880-1891; State Russian Museum, St Petersburg) shows a merry band of Ukrainian cossacks gathered around a table, writing a humorous and profanity-filled letter in response to a demand note sent to them earlier by Sultan Mehmed IV. The noble warriors are a sympathetic bunch – free, wild and indomitable men. Furthermore they are resisting a ruler who had the clear agenda of conquering the lands they were protecting. This impression, however, is not complete. While the Zaporozhian Cossacks surely were an indomitable bunch, they also had the tendency to engage in raping and pillaging on their raids. While that is not unusual for a raiding army of that age, it does not correspond with the impression that the painting is trying to create. The point here is not to condemn the idealisation or “romanticisation” of war paintings but rather to point out that the artistic reception of war does not necessarily entail the mandate to portray events exactly as they happened or as truthful as possible. Which is true for art in general – just as art is highly individual and subjective in intention, choice of motive and execution, so is art inspired by war, maybe even more so. We can conclude that the documentary aspect of war-art is a recent development. This will be explored in more detail in the section “The Artists of War”.

This leaves the last aspect of art and war to be discussed here: criticism. Art that is outright critical of war is hard to find before the th 17 century. One of the first examples might be Peter Paul Ruben’s The Horror of War(after 1638; The National Gallery, London)

which is an allegorical depiction that shows Mars, the Roman god of war, marching, hell-bent on living up to his title, out of a temple, while several putti and a (literally) rubenesque woman are trying to dissuade him from his plan of action. They are surrounded by figures that symbolise either various disasters that come in the wake of wars, like famine or plague, or are just human figures that are trying to flee from the approaching Mars. While the painting clearly does not attempt to cast war in a favourable light, its visual style does not correspond to the title and makes it initially hard to identify as a piece of “criticism”. One of the first explicit and truly haunting contributions to artistic war criticism comes from Francisco Goya, roughly 150 years later. In his seriesThe Disasters of War, a collection of several dozen sketches, he shows a wholly different face of war: the cruelties, the massacres and the bestiality. In this context, war art becomes effectively “documentary” again, as these sketches are based on personal experience. Thus, Goya heralded later artists who would give the depiction of war their very own note: artists like Otto Dix, Salvador Dalí or Pablo Picasso.

Let us for a moment examine the paintings themselves: what is portrayed and how it is portrayed? One of the most striking aspects of western battle paintings is their “leader-centricity”. A substantial number of depictions feature a – usually victorious – leader, general or warlord as their central character; whether he is in the thick of the fighting, calmly watching the events from afar, negotiating the terms of surrender after the battle or – mostly the case in ancient depictions – towering godlike over vanquished foes. This is especially true for the majority of th paintings painted in the 19 century that revisited historical battlefields. Understandably so, since a victory in battle is usually attributed to the strategic genius of a leader. Beyond that, the examination of history in general tends to revolve around dominant characters. Another subset of the “leader-centric” painting deals with the death of one such person. Usually meant to commemorate the leader in question, these paintings dramatise the events surrounding the death

and set the stage for a heroic death scene. Examples are the death of General Talbot at the Battle of Castillon (p. 109) or The Death of General Wolfe(1770; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa) by Benjamin West.

However, there had also always been a strong tendency towards the depiction of individual, representative scenes in the history of war-related art. Beginning with Greek vase-painting, some artists had to make good use of their limited space for depiction and thus chose scenes that would best represent the conflict in question. The same is true for a lot of images from illuminated chronicles, which also exhibit the tendency for small, orderly battle scenes that summarise the events of the battle in a compact way. For that purpose realistic proportions are often sacrificed to create a depiction that captures the whole of the battle in one image. Larger battle scenes can be found in the late Dutch or German Gothic art. A prominent example is Albrecht Altdorfer’sThe Battle of Alexander at Issus(p. 38), which, being part of a larger cycle of historical paintings that were commissioned by William IV, Duke of Bavaria, tries to grasp the full scope of the battle by depicting the two large armies pitted against each other with the two opposing leaders being small figures in the masses of soldiers. Furthermore, the painting exhibits another aspect that prevailed in the arts until the Renaissance: both the Greek and the Persian armies are portrayed as medieval knights; thus subjected to a “transculturation”. This peculiar aspect can also be found in many illuminated documents from early medieval times and has its roots in the fact that the artists responsible never had access to any material that might have helped them to develop a realistic depiction. However, that changed with the Renaissance and the rise of cultural exchange, archaeological discoveries and a new interest in painting in a realist manner. Art in general became more precise and differentiated.

th The late 19 century saw a rise in paintings about contemporary battles that were less focused on particular leading figures but instead depicted detailed scenes putting equal – if not more –

Leonardo da Vinci,Cavalry Battle, Study for theBattle of Anghiari, c. 1504. Ink on paper, 14.7 x 15.5 cm. Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice.