The Battle of Valmy (September 20th 1792) 1835

Horace Vernet painted this scene of "The Battle of Valmy" sometime after it occurred in 1792, using oil on canvas. The making of oil paint itself has a rich history, relying on the skilled labor of grinding pigments and mixing them with linseed oil, often by hand. Oil paint gave Vernet the ability to blend colors seamlessly and build up layers of detail, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. You can see how the materiality influences the painting's appearance, especially in the smoke-filled sky. The texture and weight of the paint allowed him to create a palpable sense of the battle's chaos and drama. The artist engages with traditions of academic painting and military history; the battlefield portrayed is in fact a site of agricultural production. Consider the sheer amount of labor involved, not just in creating the painting, but also in producing the materials, from the canvas to the pigments themselves. The painting itself reflects the social context of its time, and the impact of materials, making, and context in understanding the full meaning of an artwork.