Alejandro Hincapie
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| Eugene Delacroix. Death of Sardanapulus. 1827. Romanticism. Oil on canvas.* |
Romanticism as an expressive artistic movement in oil paintings came as a reaction to the orderly Neoclassical works that preceded it. This action-reaction dynamic between both artistic movements can best be characterized as the difference between line and color – the two essential compositional elements that make up European oil paintings. If Neoclassicism emphasized the importance of line in the creation of accurate space, linear strokes, and idealized forms in creating works that appealed to one’s intellect, Romanticism emphasized the importance of color in creating emotion and drama that appealed to one’s heart and sentiment. A close comparison of David’s Oath of the Horatii with Delacroix’s Death of Sardanapulus reveals how the different emphasis on certain formal elements works to define each work as either Neoclassical or Romantic. What’s more, the different emphasis on certain formal elements also reveals the intentions of the work, ultimately adding to the classification of the work as either Neoclassical or Romantic.
But before examining each work’s formal elements and how they contribute to the work’s ultimate intention, it is important to note the difference in their subject matter. Completed in 1785, David’s Oath of Horatii depicts a scene from antiquity, specifically from a story first recounted by ancient Roman historian Livy and later adapted as the tragedy Horace by Pierre Corneille in the seventeenth-century. In the story, warring Rome and Alba decided to settle their conflict by staging armed engagements between three men of each city. The Romans chose as their representatives three Horatius brothers, while Alba chose three Curatius brothers. Sisters from each family were married or engaged to a brother from the other family, leaving them with a lost loved one no matter the outcome of the dual. David’s painting depicts the moment the three Horatius brothers swear on their swords held by their father to win or die for Rome, while their female relatives grieve in sorrow and anguish at the inevitable deaths of loved ones. For a late eighteenth century French audience, the work‘s narrative of patriotism and sacrifice was a poignant one as revolutionary gears began to turn in their country. (Kleiner 769, Eisenmen 24)
In almost stark contrast, Delacroix’s Death of Sardanapulus doesn’t depict a scene from classical Rome, but rather one from the exotic East. Taken from Lord Byron’s account of the event, the 1827 painting has as its subject the Assyrian king who chose to commit suicide rather than die at the hands of his invading enemies. Delacroix chose to depict the king’s last living moments as he reclines on his soon-to-be-ailte bed and passively watches the invading army destroy his women, slaves, horses, and treasure – symbols of the very excess that French audiences fought for in their revolution and faced once more with Napoleon. While both works are vaguely similar in their allusions to the French revolution through their subject matter, they differ greatly in their use of formal elements and it is through these differences that their distinction as Neoclassical or Romantic can be assigned. (Kleiner 769, Eisenmen 24)
Like all Neoclassical works, David’s Oath of the Horatii demonstrates a careful regard for line in the way it employs classical methods to create an accurate illusion of three-dimensionality and ideal forms within the work. Scientific perspective, first developed in antiquity and then rediscovered during the Renaissance, is evident in David’s work in the presence of a focal or vanishing point where the hands of the Horatious brothers and their father’s meet. Orthogonals converge on this focal point as evident in the tiles of the rough stone floor and in the cement blocks of the walls, adding to the work’s sense of depth. Additionally, there is a clear sense of a foreground, middleground, and background, with all the figures sitting comfortably in the foreground of the composition. Furthermore, David highlights the figures and columns in his work with accurate lighting and shadows cast from the directed lighting coming from the top left of the frame by using carefully lined chiaroscuro, another classical method rediscovered during the Renaissance. This careful placing of lights and shadows works to make the figures and scene of David’s work appear more solid and three-dimensional. Finally, in line with all other classical methods employed, David’s figures are modeled in classical, idealized proportions and the formation of their poses is anatomically correct. All of this accurate depiction of three dimensional space and ideal form demonstrates David’s and Neoclassicism's careful regard for line.
In contrast, Delacroix’s Death of Sardanaplus does not demonstrate a careful regard for how line can achieve a convincing illusion of three-dimensionality and ideal forms within the work. Firstly, Delacroix’s did not employ scientific perspective in creating the Death of Sardanapulus. A single focal point in not evident, nor are converging orthogonals. Furthermore, the king’s bed appears titled up rather than appearing foreshortened out and back within the composition. Additionally, there is no clear foreground, middleground, or background; all the figures and action in the composition are sporadically arranged with no clear point of focus for the viewer. What’s more, the highlighting and shadows on forms and figures are very arbitrarily and randomly done and do not work towards creating convincing three-dimensionality. Finally, Delacroix’s figures are not modeled with idealized, classical proportions. The legs of one of the women, for example, appear too short in comparison with the rest of her body. The poses of all the figures also seem rather exaggerated and artificial. Ultimately, Delacroix demonstrates no regard for how line can achieve a convincing illusion of three-dimensional space and ideal form.
What Delacroix does demonstrate a regard for is the importance of color in creating drama and emotion within the work. In Death of Sardanapulus, Delacroix uses warm and passionate colors to reveal the drama of the king’s impending death and the excess of the lifestyle that is being destroyed around him. What’s more, this use of color to communicate the sentiment of the work is supplemented by Delacroix’s swirling and chaotic brushstrokes and the sense of vibrancy they bring to the composition. Delacroix’s use of colors and brushstroke comes in direct contrast with David’s in Oath of the Horatii. In that work, the colors David uses are muted and used to balance the composition of the work, not to reveal the sentiment of the scene. Likewise, his brushstrokes are linear, orderly, smooth, and precise, unlike the swirling and chaotic ones of Delacroix.
These differences in the use of formal elements between the works of David and Delacroix demonstrate the differences that characterizes Neoclassical works from Romantic ones. The mathematically accurate creation of three-dimensional space, the careful, idealized modeling of figures, and the clear, foreground positioning of forms in Oath of the Horatii are all characteristic of Neoclassical works. Drawining heavily from classical and academically accepted methods of painting, as well as depicting classical subjects, Neoclassical works are grand, heroic, and stoic in tone. Their regard for line creates compositions that are orderly, detailed, and calculated. As was the case with Oath of Horatii, the grand, heroic character of Neoclassical works create uplift and inspiration in its viewers.
Romanticism, in contrast, developed in reaction to the orderly, calculated, and academic works of Neoclassicsm. Delcroix’s Death of Sardanapulus demonstrates Romanticism’s characteristic expressive and dramatic nature. Regard for mathematically accurate creation of space and idealized forms and figures is discared for emphasizing color and brushstroke in creating drama and sentiment in the work. Delcroix’s work in particular demonstrates the Romantic inclination to portray exotic themes that are rich in detail. The convergence of exotic themes or nature as the subject with intuitive use of color created dynamic, chaotic, and emotionally-resonant works that, unlike mathematically constructed Neoclassical ones, appealed to the heart and sentiment of the viewer rather than their intellect.
Romanticism marked a shift in art in which artist began to portray the world as they saw it, not in any idealized manner that attempted to objectively recreate reality While not always in-line with reality, Romnatic works were the mediums in which artistis expressed their subjectivity-- their sentiment about the subject. It was this unique sentiment of the artists that was expressed through color, brushstroke, and the use or lack-of-use of formal elements. From Romanticism on, the Western tradition of European oil painting became a variation of how artists saw the world – whether through the lenses of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Cubism, or Surrealism. Viewed this way, Romanticism ultimately prevailed over Neoclassicism.
Works Cited
Eisenman, Stephen, and Thomas E. Crow. Nineteenth Century Art: A Critical History. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994. Print.
Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner's Art through the Ages. a Global History. Boston, MA: Thomson, 2009. Print.
*Image description links to image source.
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