The Artists

World War I

Max Beckmann

Marc Chagall

Otto Dix

Natalia Goncharova

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Kazimir Malevich

William Orpen

Sir Stanley Spencer

World War II

Francis Gruber

Antonin Artaud

Pablo Picasso

Jean Fautrier

Arie Wols

Bram van Velde

Other Wars


Frederic Remington

Military campaigns and numerous other war time events are depicted through paintings and sculptures by artists. Their work helps other people to understand the experience and the sacrifice of war.

In the last century, modern technology, such as photography, film, and digital images have been used to record the conflicts of war.  However, traditional methods such as prints, paintings, and sculptures still hold a strong position in both popular and military cultures.

Today, it is common to find advertisements for the work of popular artists of battle scenes and leaders from wars such as the American Civil War, the Napoleonic wars and World Wars I and II  in historical magazines such as Blue and Gray or Military History.

Artists have been commissioned to record the various events that occurred in almost all wars.  For example, during World War I, eight artists were commissioned by the United States Army to record the expeditionary force in France.  Today, the same practice of hiring artists to record events reaffirms the fact that war does influence art. 

War represented in art is very important in today's world because it helps to inform people about the past - a past that they may know nothing about.  In addition, it reveals how wars influenced various philosophies and styles of art around the world. It also maintains and influences the morale of soldiers and civilians while involved in war. 

"[Artists] gave graphic interpretation to the events that were happening." And during the First World War, it was stated "as the stalemate with Germany became more obvious, the weapons of the patriotic artists became more and more needed to the maintenance of morale among the civilian population" (www.history.sfsa.edu).

Here are some of the artists who were known for their depictions of war.