The overlooked masterpiece full of coded messages about World War One

bbc.com

24 points·rmason··7 comments

For me, the art of the The War to End All Wars that impacts me most is the art that doesn't allude to religious and classical themes. E.g.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Sargent%...

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46560/dulce-et-decoru...

They remind me of the importance of art as a non-commercial pursuit. YMMV.

I could guess the painting before clicking the link. It got me thinking, nobody that I am aware of, paints like this (I mean subject matter and mood) about current wars. The "war on terror" ran for approximately 20 years, and yet produced little art (a handful of movies?). Why do we think this is.

Same reason poetry isn’t popular anymore.

It is not in the interests of states. We didn’t have Vietnam War journalism either and social media won’t fuel another Arab Spring.

It’s reversion to the mean.

In the context of World War I, this painting feels completely irrelevant to the reality of the war, its causes, and its consequences.

Compare it with the works of Otto Dix or others who actually experienced the war firsthand there is no "battle between good and evil," there's just senseless mayhem.

Otto Dix, Der Kreig

https://mapinacotheque.blogspot.com/2018/03/otto-dix-der-kri...

The oil painting Death of the Dragon by Evelyn De Morgan

TLDR it's a typical narrative article: "female artist overshadowed by her famous husband". Magazines like the BBC and The Guardian pump out these articles by the dozen. She may or may not be a good painter; her skill is irrelevant to the journalist's angle.

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