Post 1- Princess Hickmond

Jacques Louis David. The 28th of July: Liberty Leading the People. 1799. Romanticism

Art and philosophy continuously develop as life progresses. As a result, there is a variety of art periods that reflect the mindset and social circumstances of artists during that era. Comparing and contrasting specific art periods and movements can assist in gaining insight regarding artists’ inspiration, their techniques, and the role art played during that time. Jacques-Louis David and Eugene Delacroix are two French artists that demonstrate the lucid distinctions and similarities of Neoclassicism and Romanticism. David and Delacroix’s works provide information regarding the artists’ intention and also the differentiation of styles and approach. This work will compare and contrast two paintings: The Intervention of Sabine Women by David and Delacroix’s The 28th of July: Liberty Leading the People.

Eugene Delacroix. Intervention of Sabine Women. 1830. Neoclassism

Before analyzing works of art, it’s vital to gather information regarding current events occurring during that time. Consequently, it will easier to identify the styles and purpose of an artist’s work. David created The Intervention of Sabine Women in 1799 and Delacroix’s work was made during 1830. Both artists were affected by the French Revolution, which began in 1789.  According to David L. Dowd’s work The French Revolution and Painters, “…writers and even professors are expected to perform significant political functions, but little attention has been paid to the fact that the artists, particularly the painters, were active out of all proportion to their numbers during the Revolution,” During the eighteenth century, artists were drawing from Classical Antiquity conventions and structures like the Pantheon and utilize them to signify their patriotism and their loyalty to France . Therefore, David’s artwork presented a calculated, calm, linear perspective of the ongoing battle. On the other hand, Delacroix’s nineteenth century painting reflected the perplexed state of the French public and their economy. Consequently, Delacroix’s portrayal was more dynamic, emotional, and intuitive. However, both men explore utilizing the image of the women to connote peace and unity amongst the opposing forces; this was unusual because women were not necessarily esteemed during the 18th and 19th century.

The Intervention of Sabine Women is a depiction of a mythical narrative; Sabine men captured, raped, and married the women of Rome; this work was created during a violent climax of the French Revolution. David chose to depict and construct the moment where women, and their small children, intervene in the battle pleading for peace. The imperative character is Hersilia, the former wife of Romulus and the new wife of Tatius. David’s aim for choosing this moment, and Hersilia’s character, is to symbolize New France and the importance of rebuilding from the misfortunes that have already occurred rather than worsening strained circumstances. The additional women represent the French Republic. The 28th of July: Liberty Leading the People also uses Liberty to represent France. The 28th of July: Liberty Leading the People also presents the aftermath of the turmoil that occurred. Liberty embodies France and how it is advancing into this new era. The product of the turmoil, in David’s work, is the innocent children in danger but the mountain of corpses is the result in Delacroix’s. Instead of the women pleading for peace for New France, Delacroix presents France disregarding the havoc of the past and leading the people into a new epoch.

The most imminent contrast between David and Delacroix’s works is their styles. For instance, the brushstrokes in The Intervention of Sabine Women are unnoticeable. The brushstrokes in The 28th of July: Liberty Leading the People are smooth and blurred but, very evident; the backdrop is composed of solid brushstrokes that allude to the sky and French architecture. Another vivid difference is the implementation of drama and movement in The 28th of July: Liberty Leading the People and the restrained action in The Intervention of Sabine Women. In David’s work, the men and women seem to be frozen, statue-like figures. For example, though Romulus is fighting, he almost appears to be in a contrapposto pose. In Delacroix’s painting, the facial expressions, gestures, and fleeting brushstrokes all give the impression of movement and chaos. There’s also dissimilarity of proportion is also seen between Delacroix and David’s works. The corpse on the bottom right of The 28th of July: Liberty Leading the People seems to be dwarfed. His head and legs are too large in relation to his diminutive torso.  Figures in The Intervention of Sabine Women are perfectly proportioned, for example, the figures are all accurately sized in relation to the surrounding architecture. Another distinction is the lack of detail in The 28th of July: Liberty Leading the People contrasts with the intricate details David implements in the clothing and weaponry in Intervention of Sabine Women. Like the artists’ styles, their approaches to the subject manner also varied.

David’s work was both an academic and political reference, but Delacroix’s wasn’t. David’s work made many intellectual references such as Poussin’s original depiction of the Rape of Sabines and Greek narrative itself. Though Delacroix uses personifications, and even depicts his contemporaries, his sole intentions were to evoke emotion, not to reference any classical traditions and/or narratives. This is another one of major differences between not only David and Delacroix, but the artists of the Neoclassical and Romantic periods.

Neoclassical and Romantic artists both employed their artistic talents as a tool for social change. However, neoclassical artists were focused on the academic, calculated arrangement of their works. Romantic artists were primarily concerned with evoking emotion in an innate manner. The difference in styles, for example, the unseen brushstrokes of Neoclassicism in comparison to the soft, blurred brushstrokes of Romanticism, show the evident differences of the artist’s technique and approach to depicting subject manner. Nonetheless, artists of both periods are recognized due their inventive inclusion throughout the Revolution and their individual methods of introducing their commentary concerning contemporary events occurring.

Princess Hickmond

References:

Dowd, Davu L. "The French Revolution And The Painters." French Historical Studies 1.2 (1959): 127-148. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Sept. 2012.

Eisenman, Stephen M. Nineteenth Century Art: A Critical History. 4th ed. New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2011. Print.