Analysis Of Oath Of The Horatii By Jacques Louis David

Oath of the Horatii
Jacques Louis David is a painter of the late XIIX-th century and the beginning of the XIX-th century David is one of the first artists to move away from the Rococo style of the time to the neoclassical style and is thought to be the preeminent painter of the time. He was born in Paris, 1748 and by the time he was nine, his father was killed on a duel and his mother sent him to live with his uncles who were architects. They tried to give him a good education but David was never a good student. He suffered from a tumor in his face and was very in to drawing. He insisted on becoming a painter and went to live with a relative of his, at the time one of the leading painter of the baroque era, François Bucher. François believed

David managed to get the privilege of residing in Louvre. He would marry Marguerite Charlotte, a woman from a wealthy family whose father was the contractor of the King’s buildings. The story of how he painted “The Oath of the Horatti” begins with him being commissioned by the government to paint “Horace defended by his father”. However, David particularly stated: “Only in Rome can I paint Romans”. At that point the journey was financed by his father-in law. In Italy, inspired and following the example of the excavation in Pompeii and Herculaneum and the typical Roman figures and paintings on the vases David came up with “The Oath of the

It’s a perfect summary of the most important characteristics of the movement. “The Oath of the Horriatii” by Jacques Luis David involves evocation of the antiquity all (time frame reference, image provided and in symbolism used). Perfection characterizes the painting in every aspect, starting from architecture with the arches to the body shapes of the men and women. Yet at the same time everything is very simply depicted. This way the author, just as in Wincklemann ideas makes beauty out of simplicity and perfection. Furthermore, the drapery used be the artists to dress the figures is typically light and not restraining at all, another characteristic of the Greek art. (The purpose of the neoclassical movement is that of imitating the Greek art). The idea after all the paining is to transmit a message of simplicity, austerity, heroism and stoicism. We have a strong contrast in the painting depicted not by any means of decoration but by the posture of the men and women. Symmetry is also part of the art work, suggesting perfection. As for the expressionism it is evidently expressed by the posture and facial expression of the