Cossacks on the March

The Caravan (1881) by the Polish artist Józef Brandt (1841-1915).

Once more Brandt shows the every day life of war. There is no glorious fighting, there’s a muddy, endless road, the southern Ukrainian steppe, which produced this kind of warriors.

Cossacks in Battle

Two more paintings by the great Polish artist Józef Brandt (1841-1915). He was glorifying the great past of Polish history in the 17th century.

Return of the Cossacks (1894)

Battle over the Turkish Banner

Cossack Painting

Józef Brandt (1841-1915) was one of the most famous Polish battle painters and in my opinion the best. He specialized on scenes from the 17th century, the great and dramatic period of Polish history.

His preferred heroes were the Cossacks from the eastern provinces, who fought in this time normally against the Poles. Brandt’s paintings are so convincing, so realistic because he concentrated more on everyday life scenes than on the great battles, which he also painted.

There’s a Cossack on guard, a wild colorful figure in a wide landscape. This is no pretentious painting, it is reduced to the absolutely necessary.

Returning from Vienna. Here are the victors who saved Vienna in 1683. They are returning with there trophies, their exotic booty and their prisoners.