The artwork entitled “War, or Discord on Horseback” was created by artist Henri Rousseau in 1894. This oil on canvas is a prominent example of Naïve Art, specifically aligned with the Primitivism movement; it measures 195 by 114 centimeters. As an allegorical painting, this piece by Rousseau engages with symbolic expression, and it is housed in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
The artwork depicts an unsettling scene shrouded with allegorical meaning. In the foreground, a figure personifying discord or strife, characterized by a wild-eyed expression and disheveled hair, rides upon a monstrous, oversized black horse. The rider brandishes a smoldering torch, seemingly oblivious to the destruction left in the wake. Beneath them, a bleak and tormented battlefield stretches out, littered with the lifeless bodies of soldiers. The landscape is barren and dominated by a dark, desolate palette of colors, with stark, leafless trees reaching towards an ominously hued sky, enhancing the grim atmosphere of chaos and desolation.
Rousseau’s distinctive technique, marked by a flatness of form and a sense of naive perspective, contributes to the dreamlike yet disconcerting quality of the scene. His application of vibrant foreground characters against the detailed, somewhat more muted backgrounds creates a stark visual contrast, underscoring the tension between life and death, movement and stillness within the painting. The grim representation of war as destruction and discord is striking and serves as a potent commentary on the nature of conflict.
