Art is a reflection of the environment in which it was created. Times of war and conflict often inspire and influence artistic production, as seen in these examples from the MFAH permanent collection.
Still Life with Golden Bream, Francisco de Goya, 1808 - 1812, From the collection of: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Goya invests his still life paintings with great pathos. Parallels can be drawn between the lifeless fish seen here and Goya's treatment of human corpses from his print series, "Disasters of War".
Amphora with Scene from the Iliad, Attributed to the Hattatt Painter, -0540/-0520, From the collection of: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
This work depicts scenes from Homer's Iliad, the great ancient war epic. Here, two hoplites, or foot soldiers, engage in face-to-face battle. Amphoras had a funerary purpose and could hold ashes.
The Mier Expedition: The Drawing of the Black Bean, Frederic Remington, 1896, From the collection of: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
This work shows Texan soldiers imprisoned by the Mexican Army and subjected to a life or death lottery, determined by drawing a bean out of a jar to determine their fates: life in prison or execution.
Sketch 160A, Wassily Kandinsky, 1912, From the collection of: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Painted in Germany prior to the start of WWI, this wildly colored work reflects the turbulence of an era unhinged by modernity. It suggests impending apocalypse through seemingly erratic marks.
PH-241, Clyfford Still, 1949, From the collection of: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Created in the years following WWII, this work shows the relationship between the growth of Abstract Expressionism and the trauma of war: emotions and anxiety are revealed in thick and dark paint.
Credits: All media
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