Jacques-Louis Davids Painting, the Oath of the Horatii - Essay Example

Jacques Louis David’s Painting, the Oath of the Horatii al affiliation: Jacques-Louis David’s Painting, the Oath of the Horatii Jacques-Louis David painted The Oath of the Horatii to demonstrate the period of war between Alba and Rome in 669 B.C. It is among of the artworks that expressed the beginning of contemporary art. First, it expresses the different passions and emotions that existed when two groups fought- three Curiatii brothers versus three Horatii brothers. Instead of treating the denouement of the action, David’s piece of artwork demonstrated the beginning of the war.

He showed the more grandeur and greater intensity of the initial stages of the fight (Boston College, 2014). The idea of the oath in his painting transformed the action into a solemn event that bound different individuals’ wills in a single, creative gesture. The artwork also employs ideal forms to present a lofty moralistic theme that implied patriotism in a gestural clarity (Boston College, 2014). It shows elder Horatius in the center administering an oath that vigorous applaud from the three strong men on the left.

Meanwhile, the right side shows women, children, and an old man in a tearful anguish. Thirdly, the painting emphasizes dramatic lighting (Boston College, 2014). It uses a décor that has reduced the abstract order of architectural space. It has massive arches and column. Shades of brown, red, and pink soften the contemplative atmosphere. David chooses to bath his painting in a shadowy outside, rather than an expanse of sky or landscape. Consequently, the light assumes a brick-toned reflection that surrounds the figures with a mystic halo.

References Boston College. (2014). The Oath of the Horatii, - Jacques-Louis David. Retrieved from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav_oath.html