War and Art

There aren’t many reasons that I wished I lived in Europe, but the chance to see more Baroque art would be at the top of the list. There is currently a display in Brussels called “Bellum et Artes” (War and Art) about art during the Thirty Years’ War. In some ways, it does seem remarkable how much amazing art was produced while such a destructive and costly war was going on. From “The Surrender of Breda” to “Night Watch,” the period from 1618 to 1648 witnessed some beautiful art by amazing artists.

In addition to great art, this exposition also includes an impressive catalogue of one soldier’s war injuries via painting (shown below) which is both impressive and disturbing. There is also a copy of the Treaty of Osnabrück signed by Queen Christina, and a copy (presumably 1st edition?) of Hugo Grotius’s “Of the Law of War and Peace.” I wish I could be there to see it.