Peshawar mountain battery in action. Bilandkhel before 1895

This image by Frederick Saint John Gore captures a mountain battery in action near Bilandkhel. Note the stark contrast between the seemingly peaceful tree in the foreground and the distant figures operating heavy artillery. The act of waging war has been a persistent motif in art for centuries. We can see how images of battle are charged with emotional and psychological intensity, reflecting both the glory and the horror of conflict. Think of the recurring motif of military action, echoed across time in tapestries, paintings, and photographs. Consider Paolo Uccello’s "The Battle of San Romano" and its visual descendants in the 19th and 20th centuries. Here, the plume of smoke rising from the cannon is not just a visual element; it's a symbol of power and destruction, evoking primal fears and anxieties, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. The symbol of war progresses, is cyclical, and continues to resurface, evolving and taking on new meanings in different historical contexts.