Mannen halen de gewonden en begraven de doden na de Slag bij Waterloo 1836

Editor: This is "Mannen halen de gewonden en begraven de doden na de Slag bij Waterloo" a lithograph by Auguste Raffet from 1836. The overwhelming feeling I get is one of bleakness. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Beyond the immediate desolation, I see Raffet grappling with the social aftermath of conflict. Think about the Romantic era's fascination with war, often portraying grand heroic narratives, what does it tell you to see it contrasted with the gritty realities faced by common people affected by it? Editor: I guess it's much less glorified than many paintings I have seen. These aren’t soldiers in heroic poses. They're just…dead. Or helping the wounded. Curator: Exactly. Raffet seems less interested in national glory and more concerned with class implications. Who bears the brunt of war, both in life and afterwards? Consider too that lithography was an easily reproducible medium at the time; How might this influence how a message about equality could be communicated more broadly than before? Editor: It could reach a wider audience who are all going through the same suffering, to give voice to a sentiment they have in common…almost like an act of rebellion. It really reframes how I see this artwork. It isn't just a depiction, but a statement. Curator: Precisely. And thinking about Romanticism as a revolutionary aesthetic gives it a different urgency. Editor: This makes me want to re-evaluate all of the other "heroic" Romantic paintings with a more critical eye. Thanks! Curator: It's important to question those grand narratives, to give space to diverse voices.