War and Art: A Visual History of Modern Conflict

Description

This sumptuously illustrated volume, edited by eminent war historian Joanna Bourke, offers a comprehensive visual, cultural and historical account of the ways in which armed conflict has been represented in art. Covering the last two centuries, the book shows how the artistic portrayal of war has changed, from a celebration of heroic exploits to a more modern, truthful depiction of warfare and its consequences. Featuring illustrations by artists including Paul Nash, Judy Chicago, Pablo Picasso, Melanie Friend, Francis Bacon, Kathe Kollwitz, Yves Klein, Robert Rauschenberg, Dora Meeson, Otto Dix and many others, as well as those who are often overlooked, such as children, women, non-European artists and prisoners of war, this extensive survey is a fitting and timely contribution to the understanding, memory and commemoration of war, and will appeal to a wide audience interested in warfare, art, history or politics.

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 (1999), Fear: A Cultural History (2005), The Story of Pain: From Prayer to Painkillers (2014) and Wounding the World: How Military Violence and War-play Invade our Lives (2014).

"[A] fascinating and beautifully illustrated book."-- "Arma 3" "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 "I could easily make this the shortest review ever: just buy the book, read it, look at it. You will seldom if ever find a book on art as worthwhile and as necessary as this one."-- "Medicine, Conflict and Survival" "This ambitious volume will be a landmark in the study of war as well as in visual culture studies."--Peter Burke, Emmanuel College "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 "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 "This is a large, abundantly well-illustrated book. . . . Recommended for all academic libraries."--Amy Lucker, New York University Library "ARLIS/NA 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."--Jerome Bazin "Critique d'art" "War and Art offers a visual, cultural, and historical account of depictions of war and its aftermath over the past two hundred years. The artists and representations cross a variety of media--from paintings, prints, and photography, and comics to film, digital art, and graffiti--In an effort to visualize war, memory, commemorative actions, and outcomes. . . . Richly illustrated with more than four hundred illustrations and including notes for each essay and a brief bibliography of about fifty sources, the volume will be of interest to readers in history, art history, military history, ethnic and cultural identity, memory studies, and related fields of material and cultural heritage. . . . Recommended."-- "Choice" "It is salutary that one of the leading historians of war and violence, Bourke, whose work defined how these concepts are thought of in relation to gender, emotions, and the body, sought to redress such issues through the prism of visual culture. The result is a large, lavishly illustrated tome expertly edited by Bourke, with sixteen chapters by as many scholars. . . . The book has an impressive arc and span: a survey, reader and primer, all-in-one. . . . War and Art stands out for the way in which it brings together a heterogeneous range of artistic practices and visual modalities--from oil painting to aircraft fuselage, feature films to drone images, embroidery to virtual reality. This rich span allows it to make historical sense of the endless complexity of forms, ideologies, discourses, and ends to which art lends itself in relation to war, as well as to give readers a fuller account of the different subject positions involved. This comprehensive volume, ambitious in scope and scale, is a welcome addition to the literature and a reference point for why visuality matters to the humanities as never before."-- "Journal of Contemporary History" "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"