Slag bij Malachov, 1855 1855

Curator: Here we have Jules Worms' "Slag bij Malachov, 1855," an engraving that depicts the battle during the Crimean War. Editor: Right away, the chaos just jumps out. It’s incredibly dense, with so many figures all caught in the crossfire. A scene of complete… bedlam! Curator: Indeed! It's an intense visualisation of the battle, created not long after it happened. Worms manages to pack so much detail into a single print. Editor: As a print, consider the means of production. Someone had to carve all those tiny, frantic lines into a plate. Laborious doesn't even begin to cover it. The social context screams of 19th-century conflict – it would’ve been mass produced for popular consumption and a clear indicator of the appetite for documenting wars in real time. Curator: Yes, there's a real rawness to the piece, though softened somewhat by the graphic precision. When I look at it, I see it like a fever dream of violence etched in ink. But consider what isn't shown. What of the emotional toll of these combatants? Editor: Fair point. Though with that volume of bodies being put through the mincer... I would wonder, what were the materials worn? The provenance of those bullets being cast? Consider how uniform qualities also feed into understanding. Curator: It brings up the usual contradictions of history painting, doesn't it? Depicting what must have been a gruesome scene in a medium that is inevitably romanticized because it feels so far removed. The contrast intrigues me. It sparks such creative and ethical quandaries that churn the stomach in very strange and profound ways! Editor: I agree that you can see some weird beauty within this kind of medium. Even given all that we now know. Curator: Thanks, I feel that this has offered a look that may let many appreciate some of the nuance the piece suggests.