A Wounded Hero

Marshal Jean Lannes wounded at the battle of Essling by the French painter Paul-Emile Boutigny (1853-1929).Lannes was one of Napoleon's most daring and talented generals an a personal friend of the emperor. In the bloody battle of Aspern-Essling he was mortally wounded.

A Broken Heart

Napoleons Farewell To Josephine by the British painter Laslett John Pott (1837-1898). Normally Pott was more specialized in military scenes but here he depicted the great hero on a romantic battlefield.

Against the Forces of Nature

Snow Storm: Hannibal and His Army Crossing the Alps (1812) by the British painter. Though Turner is mostly considered a landscape painter he did here kind of history painting. At least he mixes both genres. That Hannibal and his army are not simply decoration indicates the date of the painting. Turner saw parallels between Hannibal and Napoleon, and the historic Punic War between Rome and Carthage and the contemporary Napoleonic Wars between Britain and France. So history is important as a looking glass on modern events.

More a Scientific Expedition

Bonaparte at the Pyramides by the French painter Maurice Orange (1867-1916). It's interesting that Orange didn't chose here the heroic military aspect of Napoleon's campaign to Egypt but the scientific exotic one.

A British Hero

The Duke of Wellington at Waterloo by the British battle painter Robert Alexander Hillingford (1825-1904). Hillingford did a whole series of Waterloo paintings. Here he shows the Duke of Wellington encouraging one of his famous infantry squares the backbone of the British army then.

Chaos and Disaster

Crossing the Berezina (1866) by the Polish painter January Suchodolski (1797-1875).

Suchodolski shows here no individualistic or even heroic struggle. The battle (if it could be called one) has dissolved in pure chaos and disorder. Impressive are the huge masses of fleeing troops.

Cloudy Visions

Napoleon Near Moscow, Waiting for a Boyar Deputation (1891-1892) by the Russian painter Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (1842-1904). Vereshchagin depicted here Napoleon in a very symbolic way. Despite the dust clouds may be realistic they illustrate much more the treacherous illusion of Napoleons victory. There was nothing gained and soon all will be gone.

Oedipus

Oedipus (1867) by the French painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904).

This histrionic painting was very popular and often reprinted. It shows Napoleon in front of the Sphinx. The hero of mankind facing destiny, trying to answer it’s questions.

This melodramatic face-to-face is furthermore intensified because Gérôme didn’t paint the pyramids which are behind the Sphinx. So it’s only man and destiny in the desert.

Storming Saragossa

Storming Saragossa (1845) by the Polish military painter January Suchodolski (1797-1875).

It’s interesting to compare this painting with with "The defense of Czestochowa" also by Suchodolski. Both are showing the heroic fighting on the walls with a similar dramatic illumination. A difference is that the walls of Saragossa are much more impressive. Probably this can be explained with the fact, that in Saragossa the Poles were storming – while they defended Czestochowa.

The Doors of Hougomont

Hougomont 1815 (1903) by the Scottish painter Robert Gibb (1845-1932).

Gibb a popular military painter depicted here the hard fighting at the doors of the farm Hougomont in the battle of Waterloo. It’s one of the typical paintings which decorated British Officers' Clubs and country houses.

Defeated Napoleon

Napoleon after Waterloo by the English battle painter Robert Alexander Hillingford (1825-1904).

Napoleon returns defeated from the battlefield. He knows that he has lost all: the battle, the crown, his supporters and his freedom.

The Last Grenadier

The Last Grenadier of Waterloo by the French painter Horace Emile Jean Vernet (1789-1863).

Even though Vernet became famous as a battle painter this is much more a kind of symbolism. The cross with the setting sun behind and the lonesome contemplating soldier, nothing is real or had anything to do with the battlefield in the evening.

Napoleon's Sight of Moscow

Napoleon's First Sight of Moscow by the British military painter Laslett John Pott (1837-1898).

Pott shows the false triumph of Napoleon, the elusive relief of his exhausted men. On the horizon is Moscow, but destiny is symbolized by the skeleton in the lower right corner.

Dirty War

Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (1842-1904) was the most famous Russian battle and military painter. As one of the great representatives of Realism he don’t waste his time in showing glorious cavalry charges, normally he painted the dirty face of the war.

Firing squad in the Kremlin (1897-98)

The Night Bivouac of the Napoleon Army during the retreat from Russia in 1812 (1896-97).
Here are some more contemporary battle paintings by Vereshchagin.

Realistic Symbolism

I know that there's nothing like "Realistic Symbolism" but it's the only characterization which matches this painting. It's one of my favorites and by the French battle painter Louis-François Lejeune (1775-1848).

It depicts the bloody carnage in the fighting for the monastry Santa Engracia in Saragossa of February 8, 1809. Lejeune took part in the fighting himself and should be probably the wounded soldier near the center.

The fighting in Saragossa is considered one of the most brutal battles of the Napoleonic Wars. It is known for its extreme brutality and ferocity of the street fighting.

Lejeune depicts in this detail fanatical monks and women who are heroical resisting the charging french troops.

So far, so good. Lejeune as an witness and an experienced painter gives a detailed depiction of that battle (The painting is from 1848). But all is arranged far beyond any realism. At first there are the two well arranged groups, which are confronted in an diagonal line. Then there is the spectacular (divine) light from above, which is illuminating like a spotlight the Pietà in the center.

And that's the Symbolism, in the face of the lamenting Mother with her dead son, men are slaughtering each other without any mercy!

Thats a great message and a great painting but it's not realistic. The Pietà is an pure invention of Lejeune as can be seen on the older engraving.


But that wasn't enough. Leujeune replaced even the gothic roof decorations by statues of vultures. I like especially that detail! But thats why I call it Realistic Symbolism.

More Light Effects

Almost a standard light effect was to illuminate the hero from the back. With the sun behind he appeared with an aureola, illuminated by the divine light.
Although this pose was proved in thousands of religious paintings it pretended now to be natural.

Here the French battle painter Horace Emile Jean Vernet (1789-1863) shows Napoleon as the victor of Friedland (1807) with a divine aureola.


Totally different (in its intentions not its methods) is this painting from the German Adolf Northen (1828-76): Napoleon's retreat from Moscow (1851)
The light comes from the upper right illuminates Napoleon from the back, passes and focuses on the dead soldier on the ground. The light effect is further intensified by the fact that Napoleons's horse and the dead soldier are white.

Napoleon is leading his troops into death. He's the rider on the pale horse from the Apocalypse whose name was Death.

All these effects are well planned and arranged. Even though the paintings are realistic in many details they are pure constructions as a whole.