Battle Scene with Turkish Cavalry 1636 - 1675

Jacques Courtois painted this ‘Battle Scene with Turkish Cavalry’ using oil on canvas. Courtois had a great facility with this medium, and he employed it here to depict the chaos and drama of conflict. Oil paints allowed him to create a wide tonal range, from the smoky blacks of the gunpowder to the bright highlights on the horses' flanks and the soldier’s armor. The painting would have been built up layer by layer, starting with thin washes of color to establish the composition, then gradually adding thicker, more opaque layers to create texture and detail. Looking closely, you can see his energetic brushwork, particularly in the swirling clouds of smoke and dust. This technique, combined with the dynamic composition, lends a sense of immediacy to the scene, as if we're right there in the thick of the battle. The very fabric of the canvas and the patient application of the oil paint serve to heighten the visceral impact of this dramatic scene. In foregrounding the materiality of the painting, we are reminded of the artist's labor and skill in bringing this epic battle to life.