The Wire

As far back as the Battle of Hastings in 1066, artists have used war as a subject for their work. The role of the war artist has changed over time—as has the style of their work, and this is the subject of a new series screening on SBS on Saturday and Sunday night. In The Art of War, former Australian National Gallery director Betty Churcher brings her unique perspective to a series on Australian art inspired or provoked by our involvement in conflicts over the past century. From the First World War to the “war on terror”, it reveals how dramatically attitudes to war have changed, and how radically the trauma of war has changed art itself. Betty Churcher spoke to Andrew Liberts.