Fighting Violence with Art Favorite 

One of the oldest forms of human expression is art, so it’s no surprise that art is constantly used to critique another of humanity’s oldest practices, violence and war. In the world of art activism, the power of creativity and innovation has been used to create commentary about war since the beginning of time. Art that speaks out against the atrocities of violent conflict embodies empathy, care, and a plethora of other human emotions. Unfortunately, these critiques do not always find their mark, and sometimes can be overlooked or ignored.
Art can also be used to create an agenda, or propaganda, and this is a tale as old as time. In The Storming of the Fortress of Stampace in Pisa, by Giorgio Vasari, created in 1571, the men who have waged war are depicted as strong, resilient, and powerful. In the image, very few of the men are depicted as having been slain, but instead they stand triumphantly, having sieged the fortress. To the opposite effect, art like the 2nd and 3rd of May, by Francisco Goya, shows the death and brutalization that can come with siege and conquest. These paintings by Goya depict the execution and slaughter of Madrileños by the French.
In the modern era, civilization has seen two major conflicts on a global scale, and countless more throughout the world on a continental or national level. While violence and war have seemed like a constant of the past century, so has the art that aims to see the end of it. Major conflicts like WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War sparked major outcry throughout the American population, and many art pieces were created in protest of these wars. Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks is a very famous sculpture, depicting a tube of lipstick sat atop the body of a tank, and stands as a protest against the Vietnam War, a conflict that many Americans believed should have been avoided by the American government altogether. Despite most of the larger wars and moments of violence in the 20th century having American involvement, violence has occurred throughout the entirety of the modern world. Guo Jian, a Chinese artist, created a piece titled “Tiananmen Square”, which features a diorama of the square, covered in raw, processed meat, as a statement against the violence that had occurred there in the 1970s.
Perhaps the most famous artist whose work has a focus on being anti-war, Banksy has also created many murals and paintings protesting violence and capitalism. One of his pieces, titled "Napalm", features a young child, helpless, being dragged along by Ronald McDonald and Mickey Mouse. This piece speaks to the winners and losers of war; while corporations stand to profit and make billions, defenseless civilians are often the victims of mass tragedies during war and conflict. Much of his art, including other pieces, such as "Happy Choppers" and "Have a Nice Day" depict the weapons and tools of war, dressed up in unusual or jarring manners. His art exists as a protest against violence, while also being a beacon of hope for the awareness of the true toll of war.