Violence in History of

Art

The Gebel el-Arak Knife is a 25 cm The Gebel el-Arak Knife is a 25 cm long knife dating from 3200 BC, the long knife dating from 3200 BC, the late period in Egypt. late period in Egypt. The handle of the The handle of the ivory is carved with a scene of a ivory is carved with a scene of a battlebattle..

Gebel el-Arak knife

The scene depicts two The scene depicts two groups of men fighting groups of men fighting each other. Those each other. Those with short cut hair with short cut hair attacking from the attacking from the left are armed with left are armed with clubs, maces and clubs, maces and short bows, while the short bows, while the long haired group seem long haired group seem to be unarmed. This to be unarmed. This points to the attack points to the attack being a raid against being a raid against civilianscivilians

Stele of Naram-Sin

Naram-Suen's victory stele depicts him as a god-king climbing a mountain above his soldiers and enemies.

As he tramples over one of his fallen enemies others beg for mercy. They have a good reason to fear him—he has kicked one off the mountain and rammed a spear through another's neck as a possible sacrifice to the gods above him.

It is dated circa 2300 BC and was found in Susa, Mesopotamia. It is made in sandstone and its measure is 2 meters. Naram-Sin is the most prominent figure—much taller than his disciplined soldiers marching up the mountain below him.

Trajan's Column is located in Rome and was completed

in 113, which commemorates Roman

emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars.

Trajan’s

column

Scenes depict the Roman army in military activities such as setting out to battle and engaging the Dacians, as well as constructing fortifications and listening to the emperor's address and the success he accomplished.

Massacre Massacre of the of the

InnocentsInnocents

The action, as related in the Gospel of Matthew, revolves around three main groups, in all of which the same interplay of murder and despair, ruthless killing and furious, yet hopeless resistance takes place. The middle group directs the eye - from the figure who holds up a blood-stained cloth to heaven, a monument to maternal anguish - up to the palace, where Herod awaits information about the accomplishment of the deed.

Painting by Rubens in 1636 depicting the biblical episode.

Saturn devouring Saturn devouring his sonhis son Painted by Francisco Goya in 1820, it shows the Greek myth of the Titan Cronus (romanised Saturn) who, fearing that his children would overthrow him, ate each one upon their birth. The painting depicts the conflict between youth and old age; it represents time as the devourer of all things, the wrath of God and an allegory of the situation in Spain, where the fatherland consumed its own children in wars and revolution.

Fight Fight with with CudgeCudge

lsls

It depicts two men fighting one another. Both men desperately rain blows on one another while they are trapped knee-deep in a quagmire of mud or sand. This affair had no rules. The villains were buried so that they could not escape and so, at dawn, the two fighters beat each other to death.

Goya, 1820

The The third third

of Mayof May

A painting of 1814 made by Goya who sought to commemorate Spanish resistance to Napoleon's armies during the occupation of 1808. Goya centers ontwo masses of

men: one a rigidly poised firing squad, the other a disorganized group of captives held at gun point. Executioners and victims face each other abruptly across a narrow space.

The The ScreamScreamIt is a picture of a

Norwegian painter Edvard Munch made in 1893.The environment of The Scream is often compared to that of which an individual suffers from depersonalization disorder experiences, such a feeling of distortion of the environment and one's self. The image represent the pain and agony, a paralysing all encompassing pain.

Léger spent three years in the Léger spent three years in the trenches during the Great War and trenches during the Great War and reflects everything that has to do reflects everything that has to do with death and destruction, the with death and destruction, the horror and violence as well as new horror and violence as well as new military equipment: the artillery, military equipment: the artillery, machine guns and tanks.machine guns and tanks.

Basel chooses a squad of Basel chooses a squad of infantrymen stealthily infantrymen stealthily approaching a village controlled approaching a village controlled by the enemy who surrenders by the enemy who surrenders and flees and a bombed-out and flees and a bombed-out farm in flamesfarm in flames.

Great Great WarWar

Basel, Basel, Attack on Attack on the villagethe village

Léger, Léger, 14th 14th julyjuly

Nash in Over the Top depicts the attack during to the trenches revealing the absurdity of the unprotected offensive and the certainty of not coming back alive.

Vuillard, in The prisoner, notes the inhospitable coldness of the room and the suspicious look of one of the soldiers.

Nevinson, in The Death,shows the bodies of two soldiers in front of the barbed wire.

GuernicGuernicaa

Guernica is a mural-size canvas painted in oil by Picasso in 1937.The painting depicts the bombing of that town by

the Franquist forces during the Spanish Civil War.Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the

suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians.

Guernica shows suffering people, animals, and buildings wrenched by violence and chaos.The scene is occupied by a horse falling in agony as it had just been run through by a spear, a human skull overlays the horse's body, a bull appears to gore the horse from underneath.Under the horse is a dead, apparently dismembered soldier; his hand on a severed arm still grasps a shattered sword from which a flower grows. A light bulb blazes in the shape of an evil eye over the suffering horse's head and it signifies the destructing effect which technology can have on society. A dove, stands on a shelf behind the bull in panic and, on the far right, a figure with arms raised in terror is entrapped by fire from above and below.

The The weeping weeping womanwoman

This paint made by Picasso This paint made by Picasso in 1937 is a continuation in 1937 is a continuation of the tragedy depicted in of the tragedy depicted in Picasso's epic painting Picasso's epic painting Guernica. In focusing on Guernica. In focusing on the image of a woman the image of a woman crying, the artist was no crying, the artist was no longer painting the effects longer painting the effects of the Spanish Civil War of the Spanish Civil War directly, but rather directly, but rather referring to a singular referring to a singular universal image of universal image of suffering.suffering.

Soft Construction with Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Boiled Beans (Premonition of

Spanish Civil War)Spanish Civil War) The painting is used to The painting is used to show the struggle of show the struggle of war.war.The artist's savage The artist's savage vision of his country as vision of his country as a decomposing figure a decomposing figure tearing itself apart tearing itself apart preceded the outbreak preceded the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War of the Spanish Civil War and thus foretold the and thus foretold the atrocities committed atrocities committed during this bloody during this bloody conflict.conflict.

Salvador Dalí, 1936