“After Failure,” painted by Vasily Vereshchagin in 1868, is a battle painting rooted in the Realism and Orientalism art movements. The artwork captures a somber scene characterized by military defeat.
In the foreground of the artwork, fallen soldiers clad in distinctive red uniforms and white turbans are depicted in various pained and lifeless positions, symbolizing the aftermath of a conflict. One can observe an armed soldier in white attire standing amidst the fallen, seemingly detached and lighting a cigarette. The background is dominated by a towering, weathered stone wall, atop which birds are perched, likely symbolizing the grim outcomes of the confrontation. The distant soldiers appear indistinct, further emphasizing the desolation and tragedy of the scene. Through this harrowing depiction, Vereshchagin masterfully conveys the brutal and heartrending reality of war.
