The article is devoted to the perception of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878 by artists. Analyzing the visual images of war in the works of V. D. Polenov, the author considers the historical and cultural context of their formation and evolution. The article reveals the influence of public opinion, the contradiction of artistic trends, changes in the activity of the press. The author makes an attempt to determine the features of V. D. Polenov’s artistic understanding of the war in the Balkans and the peculiarity of his position among other artists.
