Art in the Age of Revolution: In Depth Analysis of Jacques Louis David Works - Essay Example

? Art in the Age of Revolution: In Depth Analysis of Jacques Louis David Works This paper focuses on the social and culturalinfluences evident in the work of neoclassical artist. It involves the detailed analysis on the four works of Jacques Louis David, a known neoclassical artist during his time. He used his paintings to educate and inform the masses of what really happened during the French revolution. He used it as a medium to serve as an inspiration on patriotism, as a civic virtue that was most needed during the time and as a way to educate people. He put into painting the current events like the changing role of women in the society and politics during the revolution. Art in the Age of Revolution: In Depth Analysis of Jacques Louis David Works Morgan (2007) states that neoclassism is the term used for the enthusiasm for Greek and Roman form of ideals, and the admiration of Greek and Roman culture. However, neoclassism refers to works of arts between the eighteenth to the nineteenth centuries and caused the rejection of Baroques and Rococo style. According to Boswell and Strickland (2009), eighteenth century is the Age of Enlightenment where philosophers preached the gospel of reason and logic. This gospel has been the basis of neoclassical art and reflected through it. According to Chilvers, it is a desire to recreate arts of ancient Greek and Rome. It had a moral and aesthetic implications and a desire to restore ancient Roman values into a civil life particularly in France. Neoclassism has been widely spread that it had reached the shores of America. Gardner and Kleiner states that Greek and Romans being a classical societies became models due to having the height of civilization. Neoclassism was particularly appealing in during French and American Revolution because their traditions of liberty, civic virtue, morality and sacrifice were the ideal models during great political upheaval. Neoclassism according to Morgan approached the antique with correctness, stimulated by the Enlightenment rationalism as well as recent archaeological discoveries. Its style reflects contemporary political events and return to the rationality and harmony of the classical past (Strickland and Boswell 2009). It has values such as solemnity and order, calmness and rationality where its common subjects are the Greek and Roman history or mythology. Other characteristics are lack of trace of brush strokes, and stressed drawing with lines. On addition the works during the said period has a purpose of being morally uplifting and considered inspirational (Strickland and Boswell, 2009). Neoclassical style is known for its severe and precisely drawn figure without the illusion of depth and appeared in the foreground. The compositions were simple to avoid Rococo melodrama and the brushworks were smooth which made the surface appear more polished. Roman touches like arches and columns and symmetry and straight lines were included in the background (Strickland and Boswell, 2009). Classical societies were the model of neoclassism. Cultural and social influences had been evident on the work of the artists during the time. It reflects the cultural and moral good needed during the time of chaos and enlightenment. Neoclassical artist are trained in Italy because of the classical protypes where they could learn. Different values acted as a guidepost for neoclassical artist. Included in the said values were justice, honor for one’s country and the need to portray inspirational themes (Perry et al., 2012). Jacques Louis Davis (1748-1825) was the trendsetter artist of Neoclassism. He is a French painter and democrat who imitated the Greek and Roman art to inspire the new French republic (Strickland and Boswell, 2009). Lewis and Lewis stated that David paintings seek to tell moral story and teach proper values. A series of David’s work has a cultural and social influence and connected to the historical events in France. The paintings invoked different symbols that are associated with virtues and common good. David is the painter in the “Oath of the Horaitii” where three brothers were illustrated in the painting swore to defeat their enemy or to die for Rome. This painting showed self-sacrifice as opposed to self-indulgence done by French monarch who was overthrown and marked the new age of stoicism (Strickland and Boswell, 2009). This painting showed the cultural and social influences by showing different virtues that were needed at the time. It showed three Horatii brothers making an oath to their Father to defend Rome even if they have blood ties to their enemy, their sister being betrothed to one of the Curiatii brothers and one of them being married to one of Curatii sister. This painting showed the brothers and their loyalty and solidarity to their home country Rome even if their enemies had close ties with them. The brothers showed patriotism, fought with their lives for the good of the country. They did not even think of their own well-being. This painting of David became popular due to political instability of France due to revolution and the abolishment of French monarchy. Death of Marat is another master piece of David. Loughlin stated that it is a bridge between the call of revolution and the plea of resolution. The said work of art was also viewed to function as the pivotal moment in the “political castration” of the female subject. Marat is a closed friend of David, a radical revolutionary stabbed to death by a counterrevolutionary. During this time, the revolution was at its peak where violence was everywhere. Charlotte Corday murdered Marat hoping to end the increasing French revolution violence. According to Loughlin, the transgressive act of female revolutionary was present in the narrative surrounding of the painting. Corday had imagined that murdering Marat will make her a martyr because she believed that murdering Marat will end all the violence but was inverted by David in his painting. The moment Marat was suffering and dying and was witnessed by Corday only provoked further violence and not making an end to it. Corday’s action was associated to the actions of lower class women who lead riots in Paris over the price of bread that considered as a staple diet in lower class (Censar as cited by Loughlin). The death of Marat caused by a woman made and lifted the female gender. It gave a different meaning to French politics and in revolution ruled only by men before. Gardner and Kleiner (2009) stated that the Death of Marat provides inspiration and encouragement to the revolutionary forces and also to serve as an important record in overthrowing the monarchy. He portrays Marat in his painting as a tragic martyr who died in the service of the revolution (Strickland and Boswell 2009). Intervention of Sabine women is another painting done by David at the height of French revolution. This painting seeks for the end of violence and a reconstruction of a new political order in France as well as redefined feminine role for women. The collective decision making of the body politic and the gendered identity of individuals in politics are seen in the paintings. The private and public realms play an important role in the ideologies of liberated France (Loughlin). Intervention of Sabine Women showed Sabine women went to the ongoing war between their Sabine fathers and Roman husbands, together with their babies. They threw themselves into the middle of the war separating their fathers and husband hoping to stop the violence happening. This painting depicted the role of women in society, being mothers, daughters and wives and yet they can have another significant role in politics. Making them one of the movers can stop the ongoing violence in their society. The Intervention of the Sabine Women was related to the broader transformation of republican culture after the terror and was no longer specific to reception by “the masses”.  The painting functioned in the environment of a new regime “which sought to present itself as a lawful, legitimate republic, and also sought revolutionary closure” (Debuissons as cited by Loughlin). This painting marked the changing role of women in the liberated France. David’s paintings reflected the political and social events that were happening in France at that time. It reflected the culture and social influences of the country and its surroundings. David used his paintings as effective media in educating the public. He believed that art could play an important role in educating the public and that the dramatic paintings emphasizing patriotism and civic virtue would prove as effective as rallying call. Thus, he started to portray events from French revolution itself rather than continue making art pieces that be focused on scenes of antiquity (Strickland and Boswell, 2009). References Chilvers I. (2004). The Oxford Dictionary of Art. Oxford University Press, 496-498. Gardner H., Kleiner F. S., (2009). Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Concise Global History. Cengage Learning, 330-333. Kleiner F.S. (209). Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective, Volume 2. Cengage Publishing. Lewis R., Lewis S. I. (2008). The Power of Art. Cengage Learning, 341-342 Loughlin I. The Oath of the Horatii, The Death of Marat and the Intervention of the Sabine Women as Markers of The Interplay of Private and Public Realms and as Definitive in The Emergent Ideology of Post-Revolutionary France. Simon Fraser University Morgan A.L. (2007). The Oxford Dictionary of American Arts and Artists. Oxford University. Press, 337-338 Strickland C., Boswell J. (2007). The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern. Andrews MacMeel Publishing, 68-70. Onians J. (2004). Atlas of World Art. Laurence King Publishing, 157-159. Palmer A. L., (2011). Historical Dictionary of Romantic Art and Architecture. Scarecrow Press, 149-150. Perry M., Chase M., Jacob J., Jacob M., Von Laue T. H. (2012). Western Civilization: Ideas Politics and Society. Cengage Learning, 149-150. Read More