Vik Muniz’s The Apotheosis of War, After Vereshchagin (2007), from his Pictures of Pigment series, transforms Vasily Vereshchagin’s iconic 1871 painting through a contemporary lens. Muniz reimagines Vereshchagin’s composition with his signature technique, layering pigment to evoke both the tactile essence of painting and the ephemerality of memory.

Vereshchagin created his original piece against the backdrop of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878).

The paintig, created with striking precision, depicts a barren landscape littered with skulls, an allegorical meditation on the consequences of conquest. The inscription on its frame—"Dedicated to all great conquerors, past, present, and future"—elevates the work beyond a historical scene, positioning it as a timeless reflection on power and mortality. Vereshchagin’s raw, unflinching realism, unusual for his time, cemented his reputation as a painter unafraid to challenge conventional narratives of heroism and social conflicts.