Monday, June 1, 2009

Celtic Patriots

The old Celts became very popular in France at the end of the century. This painting by the French artist George Moreau (1848-1901) is called "Le Sacrifice à la Patrie" (1879).

The painting pretends to show Celtic warriors going to fight for their country. But the poses are borrowed from the volunteers of the war in 1870. The super patriotic woman is owed to the Liberty of Delacroix. Except the costumes the painting is pure 19th century.

1 comment:

  1. War paintings are always phony, because they make it attractive and glossy and sexy and heroic. I prefer the 1940s concentration camp images, the independent war journalist shots of men, women and children hit with napalm and cluster weapons. These images never get into the big glossy propaganda magazines because they show real war scenes... The nightmare scenes that make normal people want to throw up.

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