A Harvest Of Death And The Third Of May 1808

Representation of war is a theme that has been common throughout the history of art. War has existed for nearly as long as humans have, and each side has their own beliefs that justify the war. The art that is created about war generally represents one side, allowing the viewer to feel certain emotions towards opposing side. Two works of art that displays the theme of representation of war are The Third of May 1808, and A Harvest of Death. In 1814, Francisco Goya created the oil canvas of The Third of May 1808. This 8 x 11 painting was created during the Napoleon Era, depicts the horrors of war by showing Napoleon firing squad shooting victims (Goya). A Harvest of Death was created by Timothy Sullivan in 1863. This 17 13/16 inch 22 1/2-inch portrait was made on albumen silver print from glass negative, during the Civil War era (Sullivan). …show more content…
A Harvest of Death is currently part of the Gilman Collection, while The Third of May 1808 is located at The Prado Museum in central Madrid. The representation of war is all in the eye of the beholder; the artist is the one who sets the tone of the portrait, deciding which side gets to be glorified, or which gets to be condemned. In both works of art, The Third of May 1808 and A Harvest of Death, war is represented negatively, showing the horrors and destruction that come along with it. It is the crucial moments that are captured in art that set the tone of the war for those at home, a tradition that is still being carried on