Scenes of War in the Middle Ages by Degas

The only major incursion of the artist into the genre of dramatic history painting, the painting entitled “Scenes of War in the Middle Ages” testifies to the aesthetic acuity of Edgar Degas. Drawing inspiration from classical masters and academic tradition, this work is part of a dark and allegorical realism. The painter offers a poignant vision of the desolation and violence of war, avoiding any heroic idealization to denounce human cruelty through the drama of the victims.

On the left side of the image, several nude women, some kneeling or prostrated on the ground, weep and try to escape the massacre in an arid and devastated landscape. In the center foreground, the lifeless body of a victim lies naked on the ochre ground, while to her right, another woman is collapsed in profile. On the right of the painting, three horsemen armed with bows and spears ride proud bay and black steeds, coldly observing the disaster. In the background on the left, thick black smoke rises from a distant burning city under a highly tormented, cloudy sky.

The work demonstrates the undeniable technical mastery of the artist in the complex anatomical drawing of the nude bodies and horses. Edgar Degas uses a fine oil touch that combines the rigor of classicism and the freedom of nascent Impressionism. This exceptional know-how gives a dramatic intensity and a memorable monumentality to this striking historical composition.