Vitebsk. Battle near the City 1812

Albrecht Adam painted "Vitebsk. Battle near the City" to depict the conflict between Napoleon's forces and the Russian army in 1812. Adam, a German artist who accompanied the French troops, offers us a scene laden with the visual language of power and military conquest. However, let's consider the bodies on the ground. Who were these men? What were their stories? Adam romanticizes the landscape of war, often at the expense of acknowledging the human cost, the loss of individual identities. This makes one wonder about the politics inherent in painting war. It’s a painting of great historical importance, yes, but we shouldn’t overlook how it maintains narratives that uphold specific power structures. Looking at this vista of conflict, perhaps we can reflect on how war touches the lives of ordinary people, and how art can serve as a space to remember those erased by grand narratives of conquest.