Friday is upon us, which can only mean a Friday list! This one features the top five pieces of art relating to war. It was somewhat difficult to pick just five, predictably.


Have a peruse and let us know what you think - what are your favourite pieces of wartime art or art with a military subject?


1.) John Singer Sargent - Gassed


800px-Sargent,_John_Singer_(RA)_-_Gassed_-_Google_Art_Project


 


This haunting 1919 painting depicts the aftermath of a mustard gas attack in WWI.


2.) Charles Edwin Fripp - Isandhlwana


 Isandhlwana


 


The famous clash between British colonial troops and Zulu warriors in oil on canvas. Fripp was a specialist war artist who also covered the Kaffir War, the Zulu War and the Boer War in Africa, as well as the Sino-Japanese War.


3.) Qin Shi Huang's Terracotta Army


800px-Broken_Warriors_of_Terracotta_Army 


Perhaps not 'art' in a narrow sense, the Terracotta army is nevertheless a UNESCO world heritage site as part of the Mausoleum of the first Qin Emperor. It is also 8,000 strong, with 520 chariot horses and 130 chariots. The warriors were sculpted to protect the Emperor in the afterlife and vary in size according to their intended role.


4.) Dennis Dighton - The Fall of Nelson


800px-Fall_of_Nelson


 


Dighton specialized in scenes from the Peninsular War. This is his impression of Nelson's final moments.


5.) Howling Wolf - At Sand Creek


At_the_Sand_Creek_Massacre,_1874-1875 


This entry reflects a bit of a personal bias of mine, as I am enthralled by ledger art. This type of expression grew out of a Plains tradition of painting hides and animal skins. As hides became less plentiful and Native Americans were increasingly confined to reservations, ledger notebooks became the most readily available surface. Howling Wolf was an eyewitness to and survivor of the Sand Creek massacre, lending the image an added poignancy.