Twee gestorven krijgers 1759

Christian Bernhard Rode made this etching, titled 'Two Dead Warriors', in the eighteenth century. The print depicts the heads of two bearded men, possibly warriors, each framed within an ornamental cartouche. Rode was working in a period when the academies of art were well established, and were enforcing strict hierarchies of genre. History painting, with its emphasis on moral lessons drawn from classical antiquity, was seen as the most elevated form of art. This print, made in Germany, reflects that interest in antiquity, but gives it a twist. It reminds us of the human cost of battle, the price paid by those who fight and die. To understand the image more fully, we might explore visual culture in eighteenth-century Germany, and ask what role the academies played in shaping ideas about war, death, and heroism. We can also research the artist’s life and work to understand how he positions himself in relation to the academy and its values.