The French Revolution and the Art it Influenced
“Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death; - the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!” wrote the famous author Charles Dickens, in his classic book, The Tale of Two Cities. The French Revolution (1789-1796) was a fight for liberty and equality, which ultimately led to the execution of Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI, by way of guillotine. And, eventually Napoleon Bonaparte became the ruler of France. This was a transforming time in not just France’s history, but European history and World history. The people of France were fed up with the monarchy and the burden of high taxes, as the monarch rulers squandered money away while the people faced famine and poverty. The Revolution was so powerful that artists not only painted about it, but they became revolutionaries themselves, like Jacques-Louis David, who is famous for his works, Oath of the Horratii, and Napoleon Crossing the Alps. In 1830, the second French Revolution broke out and this was known as the “Three Glorious Days”, in which the people of France protested Charles X after he imposed ordinances that prevented freedom of the press and increased the power of his monarchy (“French Revolution”, n.d.). The famous allegorical painting by Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, is a historical depiction of the second French Revolution and illustrates the connection between socioeconomic and political issues, and art. This paper will look at David’s Napoleon Crossing the Alps, and Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People and analyze the impact of the French Revolution on art of those periods.
Jacques Louis David (1748-1825) was one of the most famous Neoclassist painters, as well as a devout revolutionary in 19th century France. He painted works that some consider propaganda of the time, yet he did so in pure Neoclassical fashion (Pollitt, n.d.). Eventually, he became the personal painter for Napoleon Bonaparte, as he continued to support the revolution through art. In Napoleon Crossing the Alps, we see a diagonal, yet static composition. The diagonal that is created by the horse is reminiscent of Baroque figures, yet it lacks the movement that the Baroque style portrayed so well.
This aspect can be seen in the case of African American painter Kehinde Wiley’s Napoleon over the Alps. The work depicts a Black man dressed in a modern camouflage jumpsuit with a bandana tied on head while aboard a horse pointing upward (). The work is an is an exact imitation in composition and supporting subjects as the painting of the equestrian portrait under the same name done by French artist Jacques-Louis David between 1801 and 1805 (). By the work imitating the same composition as that of the portrait that depicts someone of the regality and power once achieved by Napoleon and switching the figure with a modern Black man implies that he has the same power. However, Napoleon is commonly known in Western society and the man in Wiley’s
If you love stories that make you laugh but cry at the same time, The Glass Castle is the book for you. Jeannette Walls shows us, heartbreak and the overcoming obstacles that was her life. The film was released on August 11, 2017 and its not as great as the book, but it still fills your heart with sadness and joy. I had high expectations for the film, like every other book fanatic. I expected more of the heartbreaking scenes and the scenes where we got to see the family’s relationship.
This painting is 9 feet by 9 feet, oil on canvas and classified contemporary. It is based off of Jacques-Louis David’s Bonaparte Crossing the Alps at Grand-Saint-Bernard. It takes a twist on it though by replacing Napoleon Bonaparte, who is riding on a galloping horse, with an anonymous black man. The man is dressed in modern clothes: camouflage pants and jacket and Timberland boots. Jacques-Louis David’s painting made in the eighteenth century was a statement on wealth and status. It seems as if Wiley is still keeping these themes just by putting his own spin on things, showing a young African American’s experience. The painting is crafted similar to his other works, a patterned renaissance background and a realistically painted black man riding a white horse. It may be meant to show that African American’s can attain the same status as eighteenth century white men, such as Napoleon, even though they are rarely seen painted in the same way.
Jacques-Louis David’s painting The Oath of the Horatii, though painted a few years before the actual French Revolution, sparked interests in the idea of giving your all. This included the lives of your family and reigning king, for the greater good of your nation. He expressed these ideas by choosing such a myth as the basis of this painting. The way the imagery screams loyalty, truth, and character; it also shows the dark traits he is revolting against, such as excess and dishonor.
The French Revolution was a chaotic time of blood, death, and fear. Though there were many negative outcomes and events of the Revolution, it big change to sweep across France. The Revolution began in the middle of 1789 with the swearing of the Tennis Court Oath, in which members of the third estate, as well as some from the first and second estates, swore that they would not go anywhere until they had written a constitution for France. Then, the Revolution really took off, and continued on for years. Many people influenced the Revolution, such as Marat and Robespierre. The death of Marat was another event that had a large influence on the Revolution, as though he had caused lots of deaths, he was stilled viewed as a hero by most. Looking at the two paintings “The Tennis Court Oath,” and “The Death of Marat,” “The Tennis Court Oath” depicts a more significant and relevant event, as this was the event to really cause the French Revolution to take off.
In 1818, French painter Horace Vernet painted A Soldier on the Field of Battle on canvas using oil paint. The painting depicts a wounded soldier of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard after he had just buried his comrade after their defeat at the Battle of
The Industrial Revolution in 1760 is where advances in science and technology took place. This is the time period where Aristocratic Rococo people were not working. People started looking at the Rome and Greeks’ arts as well as the idea of democracy. During the American Revolution the French are inspired by Americans’ idea of democracy and then they have their revolution, and the French Revolution changes the artwork in 1789. The French revolted and threw over the Aristocrats and then threw over the Rococo time period while the Rococo art was going on during that time period. Then the birth of science and birth of looking at things began which is similar to the Renaissance. Sir Isaac Newton came up with the law of color that white light from
“Every great work of art has two faces, one toward its own time and one toward the future, toward eternity.” Art in and of itself is a reflection of the ideals and concepts promoted during the time it was conceived in, and serves as a historical litmus test as to which periods it draws inspiration from; however, as Daniel Barenboim states in his quote above, impactful art that resonates with the human spirit lasts beyond its time. Throughout history, art serves as the visual manifestation of the power and wealth of those who patronize the medium and by extension the period’s culture. More importantly, however, art can serve as a lasting mark and legacy for those who desire to leave a visual reminder of their strength while they were living.
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.
The Era of Revolutions is thought to be associated with a time of war, but the arts, music, and science did not stop evolving during this period. It continued to be a part of this era along with every era. Many forget just how important art, music, and science were to us then and still today. “The Lictors Carrying Away the Bodies of the Sons of Brutus” this is a painting that was created to show Brutus had his sons executed for treason after discovering they had plotted to take over his government. Jacques-Louis David was the artist of this painting and when David portrayed this painting audiences connected the two between this ancient subject and current events of the unfolding French Revolution.
To understand most period and movements in modern art, one must first understand the context in which they occurred. When one looks at the various artistic styles, one will realize how artists react to historical and cultural changes and how artists perceive their relation to society.
The French Revolution was a period of far-reaching social and political change in France that lasted from 1789 to 1799. Before the revolution there was a period of time called the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement in which followers considered that human reason brought a move from theory to practice and criticism to reforming education, household administration, social reactions and politics. Voltaire, a French philosopher and contributor to the Age of Enlightenment, expressed these ideas utilizing his intelligence, wit and style to mark his name as one of France’s greatest writers. The Enlightenment influenced the French Revolution to a great extent by introducing new ideas that encouraged questioning of authority and religion, advancing people’s outlook on commodities, and forcing citizens to compare their need with the Republic’s needs. This further brought an uprising of people wanting more such as equality and civil rights. In the process to do so there were 250,000 casualties in the Reign of Terror followed the Thermidorian Reaction which implemented an oligarchy government called the Directory. Royalist riots prompted the Coup d’etat of Fructidor which brought Napoleon into Directory which he later overthrows and creates an Authoritarian Republic.
The revolutions of 1830 and 1848 sparked a steady stream of political artwork showing scenes of battle and rebellious uprising. Eugene Delacroix’s portrait of Liberty Leading the People, 29 July 1830 reflects the events of the French banded together from varying classes in battle following a bare breasted Liberty. Ernest Meissonier’s painting The Barricade in Rue Mortellerie, Paris, June 1848 is a sad image of a drab Parisian street with dead revolutionaries as a result of social class fighting.
French Romanticism developed relatively late because of Neoclassicism being rooted in French art and especially in the society’s structure. Eugène Delacroix’s painting Liberty Leading the People depicts the July Revolution of 1830. Parisian coup d'état resulted in Charles X dethroning and replacement with Louis-Phillipe, the “citizen-king.” Although the painting is historical, it is full of contrasting human emotion, a fundamental characteristic of French Romanticism. In the foreground despair is represented by human death of both sides of the battle. In the central figure, Liberty, an allegorical symbol of freedom, shows grand heroism. Delacroix’s use of brilliant and shocking primary colors opposes classicism’s use of color as subordinate and of subtle modulation. The Death of Sardanapalus by Eugène
Is modern art affecting our American Economy, or any economy for that manner, in a terrible way? After all, these wealthy individuals are spending their hard earned bills, hundreds upon thousands upon millions of it in some piece of art that doesn’t make any sense to anyone but the maker. This could lead to a huge break, that these supposedly “grimey” buyers are making our economy go down the toilet, and it could be on them. Art in itself is a very inspiring investment, but the fact that these artists that spit out works that don’t put any effort or passion into it are making the green show more readily than more passionate artists. Modern art sales may be affecting our economy with their meaning leading to quick production, their odd “cult worship” making it understandable to those who purchase it, inflating their ego so to speak, and the types of sales types where the money goes and how it is made.