The Artist and the Warrior: Military History Through the Eyes of the Masters

By Theodore K. Rabb

Book Overview

An illustrated exploration of artists' depictions of war and warriors, from antiquity to modern times

How have artists across the millennia responded to warfare? In this uniquely wide-ranging book, Theodore Rabb blends military history and the history of art to search for the answers. He draws our attention to masterpieces from the ancient world to the twentieth century--paintings, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, engravings, architecture, and photographs--and documents the evolving nature of warfare as artists have perceived it.

The selected works represent landmarks in the history of art and are drawn mainly from the western tradition, though important examples from Japan, India, and the Middle East are also brought into the discussion. Together these works tell a story of long centuries during which warfare inspired admiration and celebration. Yet a shift toward criticism and condemnation emerged in the Renaissance, and by the end of the nineteenth century, glorification of the warrior by leading artists had ceased. Rabb traces this progression, from such works as the Column of Trajan and the Titian "Battle of Lepanto", whose makers celebrated glorious victories, to the antiwar depictions created by Brueghel, Goya, Picasso, and others. Richly illustrated and accessibly written, this book presents a study of unprecedented sweep and multidisciplinary interest.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300126379
• ISBN13: 9780300126372
• Release Date: January 2011
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.7" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

You Won't Struggle With this one: Read and Learn!

I think as historians and thinkers at large we are so used to seeing the transition from the middle ages as a natural thing that was bound to happen. However, when really focusing on the early modern era, it is readily apparent that the change from the religious to the secular and the change of small powers to larger powers -- even the centralization and growth in power of the church was not natural in its progress and was filled with conflict. Theodore K. Rabb in this book and others explores the confusion of those years of profound change that the early modern era was. His insights are original and Rabb has a knack for humanizing the struggle of the worldly over spiritual. Overall this book is very scholarly and I recommend this book to the undergraduate looking to canvas an era, as a decent secondary source for research, and (most importantly) a great book for the casual reader who wants to learn about the early modern era. Rabb is lucid and colorful in his language... Put this book on your "to read" list. Ted Murena