Jean-Baptiste Édouard Detaille was a French academic painter and military artist noted for his precision and realistic detail. He was regarded as the "semi-official artist of the French army".
Édouard Detaille
Test uniforms created in 1912 by Édouard Detaille for the French line infantry. From left to right: trumpet in parade uniform, private in service uniform and kepi, private 1st class in parade uniform, private in service uniform and leather helmet, officer in parade uniform, officer in service uniform and bonnet de police (side cap), private in field uniform and leather helmet, private in field uniform and kepi.
Print by Detaille, 1885
Cavaliers de remonte Commis - Cavriers Secretaire et Infirmiers, 1887
Military art is art with a military subject matter, regardless of its style or medium. The battle scene is one of the oldest types of art in developed civilizations, as rulers have always been keen to celebrate their victories and intimidate potential opponents. The depiction of other aspects of warfare, especially the suffering of casualties and civilians, has taken much longer to develop. As well as portraits of military figures, depictions of anonymous soldiers on the battlefield have been very common; since the introduction of military uniforms such works often concentrate on showing the variety of these.
The Surrender of Breda by Diego Velázquez (1634–35) shows a crowded scene as the two sides meet peacefully to surrender the town.
The Battle of Poitiers in 1356, in a manuscript of Froissart's Chronicles of c. 1410
The Roman Alexander Mosaic showing Alexander the Great (left) defeating Darius III of Persia; a floor mosaic excavated from Pompeii, c. 100BC
The entire 70 metres (230 ft) long Bayeux Tapestry. Individual images of each scene are at Bayeux Tapestry tituli. (Swipe left or right.)
