War is bad. We get it, Bono. Now go redeem your Messiah Points before they expire. But some artists--real ones--join the battle, literally, and return to tell the world. Like English singer-songwriter James Blunt, who dropped panties the world over with "You're Beautiful." Blunt was a captain in the British army, stationed in Kosovo. So don't pass up a chance to see the James Blunt of the 19th-century visual art world, William Ranney, who fought in the Battle of San Jacinto. His Western-inspired paintings depict cowboys, indians and other key parts of the American Western expansion. See Forging an American Identity: The Art of William Ranney, on exhibit through May 3, at the Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd. in Fort Worth. Admission is $4 to $6. Museum hours are noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays. Visit cartermuseum.org.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays-Sundays. Starts: Feb. 24. Continues through May 3