War or the Ride of Discord - Henri Rousseau

A striking allegorical work by Henri Rousseau, depicting the figure of Discord riding across a battlefield in his signature, non-academic style.

Henri Rousseau, a self-taught customs officer who turned to painting in his middle age, produced this work in 1894. It depicts a central figure of Discord, a woman with wild hair, riding a black horse across a field of fallen soldiers. She holds a flaming torch in one hand and a sword in the other. The composition is stark and theatrical, typical of Rousseau's approach to subject matter.

The scene is devoid of traditional perspective, a characteristic feature of his style. The figures of the soldiers are arranged in a heap at the bottom of the frame, rendered with a flattened, almost sculptural quality. Crows circle the bodies, adding to the grim atmosphere of the battlefield. The trees, stripped of leaves and twisted into skeletal shapes, frame the action, while the sky transitions from a pale blue to a bruised, sunset-like orange and pink.

Rousseau often drew inspiration from popular imagery, lithographs, and illustrated journals of his time. Despite his lack of formal training, he achieved a unique visual language that rejected the academic standards of the late nineteenth century. His work is noted for its clarity of form and its dreamlike, sometimes unsettling, narrative quality. This painting, in particular, captures a sense of mythic violence through a highly personal, non-naturalistic lens. The contrast between the dark, galloping horse and the pale, recumbent figures creates a tension that defines the work. It remains a singular example of his ability to translate complex allegorical themes into a direct, graphic format.