Watteau’s Soldiers: Bodies, War, and Enlightenment

As demonstrated by the current special exhibition, Watteau’s soldiers reveal a paradox: their bodies and minds seem docile, subjugated to military discipline, yet they also relay a vibrant participation in and processing of the experience of war. Discover how this paradox revolutionized military thought during the French Enlightenment and ushered in a new understanding of the costs of war on the human body, mind, and heart.