The Wounded Standard-Bearer 1823 - 1835

Curator: This lithograph before us is "The Wounded Standard-Bearer" by Hippolyte Bellangé, created sometime between 1823 and 1835. Look closely at how Bellangé captured the raw emotion of the battlefield. Editor: Oh, I’m immediately struck by the somber mood. It's intense. You can almost smell the gunpowder, can’t you? The weight of loss is so palpable, you know? I can really feel it through his stark depiction. Curator: Indeed. It speaks to the realities often obscured by more glamorous portrayals of war. Bellangé challenges the heroic narratives, doesn’t he? He uses lithography so effectively to evoke drama while commenting on its sociopolitical cost. He aimed to do so, by using popular imagery, to reach the people with his messages. Editor: Absolutely. And look at the faces. That determined grimace of the man trying to keep the flag aloft contrasted with the limp, vulnerable body of the wounded soldier…it’s incredibly poignant. There is this sort of artistic tension between holding a political symbol against nurturing humanity; this speaks of political order during that era! Curator: Precisely. And consider the standard itself; partially obscuring the man carrying it, with bodies littering the ground. It suggests the glory of conflict may come at too great a price. Think about that through the context of post-revolutionary France. What did that generation make of such work that seemingly goes against so much pro-Napoleonic military propaganda of the past? Editor: Mmm, that is heavy. It makes you think. Maybe art isn't always about glorifying. What does glory actually entail? It forces a reflection about the relationship between power and art. How are political leaders, artists and ordinary citizens implicated in how these wars unfold, both in the past and now. It challenges, and perhaps aims to reform societal conscience? Curator: Precisely, a challenge indeed. He invites you to question the very ideals that fueled those conflicts. "The Wounded Standard-Bearer", rather than a celebration of conquest, offers a somber reminder of its human cost. Editor: Right. It sticks with you, doesn't it? This raw portrayal and emotional tugging make it relevant across historical time. It invites us to not forget that the "beautiful idea" costs.