Allegory of the destruction of the cathedral at Reims 1916

Curator: I’m immediately struck by the painting's somber atmosphere, this pall of smoke and fire juxtaposed against those strangely aggressive heraldic figures... It’s unsettling. Editor: We're looking at Heorhiy Narbut's 1916 watercolour, "Allegory of the Destruction of the Cathedral at Reims". The piece clearly leverages symbolism and allegory to make a statement about war. Curator: That's putting it mildly. Look at that rooster, bristling, versus the Prussian eagle—they’re locked in this grim duel above the burning cathedral. War has rarely been so brutally... literal. It’s fascinating but disturbing. I feel as though he manages to paint sounds. Do you notice all the things that have fallen to ground in the wake of the fighting? There is almost a still-life aspect with a discarded guitar, prayer book, flag, and royal attire in the composition's lower right foreground. Editor: Precisely, Narbut is making specific compositional choices. The symmetry is unsettling—the two birds mirrored in their aggression, the architectural ruins mirroring each other, half intact and half engulfed by the cloud of destruction. Consider the formal interplay: the bright sky vs the darkness below. Curator: So much anger... and, honestly, grief, saturates the painting! Those colours! They evoke pain rather than aesthetic pleasure. Also, this isn't about a physical building at all, is it? The desecration of culture, the trampling of ideals… That's what’s really burning. What an artistic response to war... a truly lasting wound. Editor: Yes. The burning cathedral acts as more than mere architecture but rather as a metonymic vehicle which facilitates a wider expression about the futility of war. Furthermore, notice the subtle semiotic construction regarding Narbut's colour choices. He implements bright sky colours in direct opposition to the ground with it's darkened, earthly colours. His careful consideration adds further insight into the dichotomy between physical life, the world of ideas and beliefs, and that of nature. Curator: Exactly! Narbut transforms what could've been propaganda into something deeply affecting and multifaceted through his distinctive use of colour. Editor: A stark reminder of the profound human cost, visually arresting for its use of allegory, colour, and formal layout. Curator: I think I'll never forget this—it stays with you, doesn't it? It serves as a beautiful reflection on something awful, like capturing a sunset with tears.