Red Tinted Paint: Per Jean Jacque Rousseau

Many attribute the evolution of the French revolution as the catalyst for redirection of the style of artwork from Baroque and Rococo to Neoclassical and Romanticism. Two leading masterpieces that support this aspect are respectively: Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, (c. 1784) and Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, (c. 1830). As commented in Essential Humanities (2016), the French revolution “in all its heroic glory and grisly destruction” (par. 10) is masterfully portrayed in Delacroix 's personification of liberty. In addition, the summons for commitment to the cause of freedom is classically rendered in David 's vow of victory or death. Within this essay both of these paintings are examined in regards to their connection to the French revolution.

It is a famous example of Renaissance art showing portraiture, realism, and some perspective. In this painting there are four distinct characters. Each has a different expression that shows how they are feeling. There is also more detail in the faces then in any other parts of the painting. Another technique it demonstrates is heightened realism. Whereas before the Renaissance the figures may have been painted simply and in only enough detail to get the general idea across, these figures are shown more realistically. Lastly there is the technique of perspective as shown in the background of the painting. The sea stretches out into the sky and the land in the background is shown how it would look if the viewer was actually

According to the Getty museum states “Lagrenée played an important part in the French movement away from the Rococo style toward a more restrained, lassicizing expression”. “Deliberately rejecting the exuberant, artificial aesthetic of the mid-1700s, he revived instead the previous century's taste for cool colors and polished, refined technique”. The context in which the culture affected Alcibiades artwork was about race, gender, and class. Another information that I found interesting is that “The male dress is rendered in angular lines that contrast with the soft curves of the female attire. The men hold weapons as their job is war, while women’s jobs are concerned with children” . According to the Khan Academy states“In 1785 visitors to the Paris Salon were transfixed by one painting, Jacques- Louis David’s Oath of the Horatii. It depicts three men, brothers, saluting toward three swords held up by their father as the women behind him grieve—no one had ever seen a painting like it”.

The two artists that I have chosen are: Pablo Picasso "Guernica" and Eugene Delacroix "Liberty Leading the people". Eugene Delacroix was born in France and was under the strict mentor ship of Pierre Guerin (Przybylek, 1). When Delacroix was seventeen, he began to pursue his studies at the Rouen and under the strict membership of Guerin; he quickly lost interest in neoclassical style and began to pursue Romanticism. Romanticism can be defined as," the movement in nineteenth-century European culture, concerned with the power of the imagination and greatly valuing intense feeling"(DeWitte Larmann Shields, 405). Romanticism was used to describe the conflict of the European and American Revolution. Romanticism was used to challenge the current state of society. "Liberty Leading the People", embodies the sacrifices of a changing society. Delacroix uses an oil medium that is supported by a canvas (Artble, 1). To use an oil as medium gives the piece "a rich luminosity that captivates the emotions of the viewer"(DeWitte Larmann Shields, 186).

Jacques Louis David’s masterpiece The Oath of the Horatti from 1784 depicts the story of the Horatti brothers swearing their allegiance to Rome and protecting its interest by defeating Alba. Perceived as the quintessential example of Neoclassicism in painting, The Oath of the Horatti stresses a sense of order and rationality that was inspired by the Enlightenment thinkers, while also directly opposing the extravagant ornamentation and excess of the Rococo movement that came before it. In continuing this interest in Classical Antiquity within the realm of Western European art, David references the Greco-Roman heritage through narrative and visual form in order to bestow upon his viewers a sense of moral inspiration.

Philosophers of the French Enlightenment were considered inspired French peoples and somehow be responsible for French Revolution, this argument was relevant to art works as well , many artists at the time expressed realism and idealism through allegory and social criticism. The First-class carriage and The third-class carriage can be put together to show the variations of the social structure in a realism way and be treated as the background for the revolution . Also, by using classic subjects, a number of paintings such as The death of Socrates and the oath of Horatii conveyed the important ideas of revolutionary and the enlightenment. During the revolution, there are also a range of paintings that depict the revolution itself with

An example of nationalists having remembrance of history could include how British nationalists named the Battle of Peterloo in reference to the Battle of Waterloo. This reference is ironic because it compares a battle won by the French and a battle lost by the English. However, even though the romantics often chose to visually remember landscapes in which they believed would go down in modern-history, such as the unspoiled nature of Lake District of northern England and northern Africa, many romantics also cherished the Middle Ages in other ways, such as poetry or music. An example of the romanticists having remembrance of history could include Eugène Delacroix’s most famous painting Liberty Leading the People, which glorified the French Revolution of 1830.

To begin with, “The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a period of ideological, political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French polity, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Enlightenment principles of republicanism, citizenship, and rights.” (New World Encyclopedia, n.d.) As a result of this French Revolution, the painting and/or sculpture were affected in any way. I believe that the purpose of art was drastically changed during this time; the art became freer to present the messages.

In Liberty Leading the People, Delacroix tells the story of Trois Glorieuses or Three Glorious Days, also known as the July Revolution. During this time in 1830, King Charles X was overthrown along with the French Bourbon monarch. The liberal republicans were in complete disapproval by the violation of the French Constitution. The middle class demographic wanted more of a voice in the government. The revolution took lasted through a period of 3 days. Liberty Leading the People is political in nature because it demonstrates the citizen’s desire to break free from the aristocracy and political unrest. Some would argue that Eugène Delacroix’s painting, Liberty Leading the People, is a depiction of the horrible aftermath of war whereas Delacroix intended for it to be more about the triumph of the people over their oppressors.

There are hundreds of paintings, sketches, and comics influenced by the French Revolution and especially Napoleon Bonaparte. Many of the works were painted by one artists, in particular. The artist was an active supporter of the revolution and supported his friend on his regime(Robespierre). David painting, Napoleon crossing the St. Barnard pass, displays Napoleon gallantly riding into battle. Golden colors were used on Napoleon’s cape, pant, and hat. These colors indicate Napoleon’s godliness. The white horse may also symbolize godliness or purity, but there are four other version of this painting that have darker colored horses as well as a more Ominous background. Although the colors vary, Napoleon’s calm but determined expression in is the same. The wild horses is seen as a symbol of danger or an

The French Revolution and the attitude towards the monarchy gave way to artists like Eugene who created works that inspired change. The inclusion of different classes of frenchmen held on to the idea that unification was to be embraced. To see a unified people fighting against the nobles was a step in a new direction, and helped to bring people of all backgrounds to the cause (Lee, 2003). To depict a fallen soldier of the monarch showed that they weren't immortal as the King was still somewhat seen as a man of holiness. The fact that they stand below while Lady Liberty raises the flag of what we now know as France, symbolizes the idea of a new country and future that they can all fight together to achieve.

During the time of the French Revolution occurred, many painting were created to symbolise and express their perspectives with what occurred during that time of the revolution. Many artists including Jacques-Louis David used symbolism in their painting to tell the story of the French Revolution. They use things as a way of presenting certain thing occurring during the time . The colors in their painting also play a key role interpreting the message of the painting.

Although many characteristics of romanticism tied Gericault and Delacroix together, they were very different artists, both in the scenes they chose to paint and in the styles they used to paint them. Gericault paintings pioneered many aspects of romanticism, depicting emotional, dramatic scenes, but he also retained elements of more conventional styles of painting. Delacroix's style was far more experimental. It ran with the romantic impulses of Gericault's painting, adding adding his own violent, style of brushwork, composition, and color to it. This development is shown very clearly by a late in the life painting by each artist: Gericault's The White Horse Tavern and Delacroix's A Turk Surrenders To A Greek Horseman.

Perhaps one of the most influential figures during the French Revolution was a man by the name of Maximilien Robespierre. Instrumental especially at the onset of the Revolution, a period referred to as the Reign of Terror, Robespierre drew on the insights of many Enlightenment philosophers and was a strong advocate for the left wing bourgeoisie. However, despite his efficacious leadership and sentiment, much of what he encouraged to the masses is based off the writings and teachings of one Enlightenment thinker in particular: Jean Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau would be the first “modern critic of the bourgeois society.”[1]More specifically, in his text, The Social Contract[2], in which he outlines what he believes to be the necessary

This painting is divided into three equal parts by the arches in the background and the characters correspond to each of these arches (TV12). The father is in the middle portion of the painting. The lines of perspective created by the tiled floor, draws our attention to the swords that the father is holding and the vanishing point lies just behind the handles of the sword. Our angle of vision is such that we are looking directly at the main figures groups, particularly the father. A single light source from the left of the picture illuminates the characters and also focuses our attention to the father holding the sword. This creates a ‘theatrical’ effect. The background is simple and stark so our attention is focussed on the figure groups in the painting. The painting has a wide tonal range that makes the composition logical and balanced. The colours used in this