The Battle of Wad-Rass 

Mariano Fortuny Marsal painted this canvas depicting the Battle of Wad-Rass, a conflict in the Spanish-Moroccan War, in the 19th century. Fortuny was commissioned by the Barcelona Provincial Council to commemorate Spain's victory in the war, but this work is a far cry from traditional battle paintings. It presents us with chaos, a clash of bodies and horses, rather than a clear narrative of heroism. Fortuny's Morocco was a complex place, one in which Orientalist fantasy met the realities of colonial conflict. To understand Fortuny's image, we can research the history of Spanish colonialism in North Africa. Fortuny’s work is also intimately connected with the rise of the art market and new collecting habits in this period. If we start from the social and institutional conditions of its production, the painting gives us access to a complex world of artistic, economic, and political forces.