De Zeeslag voor Katwijk (rechterblad), 1653 1653

Willem van de Velde the Elder rendered this drawing of the battle of Katwijk around 1653. Look at the plumes of smoke billowing above the ships; these clouds become symbols of chaos and destruction, echoing the turmoil and uncertainty of battle itself. Similar motifs appear in numerous historical and mythological scenes across art history, like those found in ancient Greek battle friezes, where clouds of dust mirror the emotional charge of conflict, the noise and confusion that men have always brought upon themselves. Even in Goya's later depictions of war, the psychological impact on the individual is often shown through swirling chaos. Notice how these visual motifs are not merely decorative; they carry intense psychological weight. The emotional intensity of the scene is amplified through the visual metaphor of disorder, tapping into our subconscious understanding of human conflict. Symbols such as smoke, chaos and conflict are perennial echoes across time, revealing the cyclical nature of human experience and memory.