Recap. Jacque Louis David Oath of the Horatii 1784-85.

Jacque Louis David

Oath of the Horatii

1784-85

• What do you see?

• What do you think about that?

• What does it make you wonder?

Group Discussion

Refer to the given artwork, ask yourself / your group:

ROMANTICISM

ROMANTICISM

Romanticism, first defined as an aesthetic in literary criticism around 1800, gained momentum as an artistic movement in France and Britain in the early decades of the nineteenth century and flourished until mid-century. With its emphasis on the imagination and emotion, Romanticism emerged as a response to the disillusionment with the Enlightenment values of reason and order in the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789. Romanticism is often seen as a reaction against Neoclassicism.

In Romantic art, nature—with its uncontrollable power, unpredictability, and potential for cataclysmic extremes—offered an alternative to the ordered world of Enlightenment thought. The violent and terrifying images of nature conjured by Romantic artists recall the eighteenth-century aesthetic of the Sublime.

In French and British painting of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the recurrence of images of shipwrecks and other representations of man's struggle against the awesome power of nature manifest this sensibility.

ROMANTICISM -- ARTISTS

Francisco Jose de Goya (Spanish)

Theodore Gericault (French) Eugene Delacroix (French)

John Constable (English) Joseph Turner (English)

Casper Friedrich (German)

Francisco GoyaThe Third of May, 18081814Oil on canvas

“Imagination abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters; united with it, she is the mother of the arts

and the origin of source of their wonders.”

Francisco Goya

THE THIRD OF MAY, 1808

Depicted the execution of Spanish loyalists by Napoleon’s troops when the French occupied the city

French troops / soldiers are shown lined up at the right; pointing their rifles towards the group of prisoners on the left.

Prisoners are shown helpless – one man in white shirt has both his arms raised and he is being illuminated clearly such that we can see his traumatized expression. To his left and right, other prisoners huddle around each other, some covered their faces with their hands, others looked defiant. Some of the prisoners lie dead on the ground covered with blood stains.

In the far distance, we see a building (maybe a church) against a dark sky

Francisco Goya


Exposed the prisoners’ plight by illuminating their desperation, fear and helplessness by the lampshade needed in the early dawn for the soldiers to hit their marks

Despite its origins in a historical event, Goya made this painting go beyond the specific references and is a stark portrayal of man’s inhumanity to man

Further reading -- http://www.artmuseums.com/goya.htm http://www.artchive.com/artchive/G/goya/may_3rd.jpg.html

Francisco Goya

http://www.artmuseums.com/goya.htm

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/G/goya/may_3rd.jpg.html


The painting depicts an execution of masses of Spanish countrymen by French soldiers. There are 8 plus soldiers, with their faces turned away from the viewer, firing at a group of Spanish countrymen at very close range. There is a central figure Spanish man in his early 30's with his arms outstretched. He is wearing a white shirt and yellow ochre pants. He is on his knees. If you look very closely you can see piercing in the palms of his hands. The central figure is surrounded by about 7 men. They are in various states of emotions. Some of the men cover their eyes, others are in prayer, while at least one covers his ears. There is a monk in prayer along side this group that frames the central character. In the foreground in front of this group of men being executed is a pile of dead bodies. There are at least 3 men dead in a pool of blood that covers them and flows into the center of the composition, in front of the central figure. There is a lantern that illuminates the execution. The action takes place outside the city. There is a church or cathedral in the distance. The men being executed are placed in front of a large boulder. The execution takes place outside the city.


DESCRIPTION



Strategic use of a composition that divides the painting into halves diagonally. By having the man in the white shirt brightly illuminated, Goya established him as the main focus. Moreover, the guns are pointed towards this man. Due to the lighting, the man is painted using very flat colours, which in turn, made him more prominent than the rest.

Francisco Goya

ANALYSIS


The French firing squad had their side profile facing us, their faces hidden. Dressed similarly with a similar pose, they appear oblivious to the horror experienced by the prisoners. Their uniforms made them look insect-like; their long and sharp swords adds to their menacing stance.

The use of a dark grey sky adds onto the gloomy atmosphere

Francisco Goya

ANALYSIS


The mood of the painting is very bleak and somber. The colors which the artist has chosen are earth tones, and there is a strong overall contrast of dark and light. This dramatic lighting technique or chiaroscuro can be seen in the central figure or focal point-the young Spanish man with his arm's outstretched. The implied lines of the gun lead the viewers eye to the focal point. His outstretched arms form a "V" line. This line is reiterated in the collar and pants of the man. There is also an angular or "V" line formed by the lantern that illuminates the scene. There is a line in the sand that differentiates the "good, or noble" Spanish countrymen from the harsher, harder forms of the French soldiers in the shadows. The shapes of the French soldiers are highly contoured. They turn way from the viewer. We do not know what they look like. The viewer can not relate to them. In contrast we see the faces of the Spanish countrymen, we see their fear, pain, defiance, and belief. Texturally the Spanish countrymen are softer. The artist has created looser brushstrokes and a duller surface. This in contrast to the shiner surface of the soldier. Spacially, the viewer is outside looking in. The light and dark contrast of the line in the sand separates the two groups spatially. There is also a feeling of entrapment created by the line of the mountain that holds the Spanish countrymen into the space.


ANALYSIS



As I look at this painting, without even knowing the history behind it, I feel empathy with the Spanish countrymen. The central figure appears to be a Christ-like figure. Spain and France are for the most part Catholic, and there would be no greater hero than Christ. He appears on the scene-bigger than life. If he stood up He would tower over the scene. A soft light reflects behind him, creating a feeling of spirituality. It is though He is asking the soldiers, "Why are you doing this to Me?" He stands with the Spanish people and symbolizes their courage, faith, and lack of understanding of war atrocities and aggression. The element of time is very interesting in this painting. Goya presents the present-the figure presently being shot, the past-the dead men in the pool of blood-and the future-the long line of men who will be shot. The painting is timeless. It pays tribute to people who are willing to stand up for their beliefs, in spite of, aggressors who would try to destroy them. It also shows the price that the price of war for the victims as well as the aggressors. Goya shows us that the aggressors have become robotic like and inhuman in their treatment of the people they would try to conquer.


INTERPRETATION


Theodore GericaultRaft of the Medusa1819

“With the brush we merely tint, while the imagination alone produces

colour.”

Theodore Gericault

THEODORE GERICAULT

Painted contemporary events as an exploration of the passionate emotions and truths that underlie them.

Fascinated by violence and horrorDecapitated Heads

c.1818

RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

When the ship wrecked near Senegal in July 1816, the passengers were placed aboard a raft and cut adrift by the captain. At the time of the rescue only 15 of the 149 passengers and crew members were still alive.

A notorious event, involving political corruption and scandal,

since the incompetent captain owed his job to his allegiance to the French monarchy. It was the type of horrific subject that interested Gericault and his contemporaries

Theodore Gericault

RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

The ordeal of the victims involved a struggle against the forces of nature, shown in the painting by the immense stormy sea and the powerless occupants of the raft.

The unequal struggle of man against nature was a theme that fascinated many of the Romantic artists.

Made use of dramatic lighting relationship – powerful light and dark contrasts, to emphasize the plight of the passengers

Theodore Gericault

RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

Gericault’s concept was to make the contemporary tragedy into something monumental and heroic. He made an intensive study of the disaster – he depicted the occupants of the raft just as they sighted the rescue ship on the horizon – which included acts of cannibalism and mutiny. In preparation for this work, Gericault interviewed some of the victims and had the carpenter built a model of the ship for him to study.

Theodore Gericault

Further reading -- http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673236500&CURRENT_LLV_NOTICE%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673236500&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696500815&bmLocale=en

http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673236500&CURRENT_LLV_NOTICE%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673236500&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696500815&bmLocale=en



RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

For the composition and poses of the men and women, Gericault referred to the works of Raphael and Michelangelo. Thus the final work was grand in scale and conception.

Theodore Gericault

MichelangeloRebellious Slave1513-6Marble

RaphaelTransfiguration1516 - 20

RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

Depicted helpless passengers and crew of the French ship, Medusa. They were shown in varied poses – some kneeling with their hands stretched out; some lying down, some looking up to the sky. Together, we see twisting forms and tilting diagonals

Theodore Gericault

RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

What else will you add to the analysis and interpretation of the work?

Theodore Gericault

Eugene DelacroixLiberty Leading the People1830

“A picture is nothing but a bridge between the soul of the artist and that

of the spectator.”

“Everyone knows that yellow, orange, and red suggest ideas of joy and

plenty.”

Eugene Delacroix

EUGENE DELACROIX

Fascinated by the exotic, both of the past and present

Works characterized by rich, brilliant colour, energetic brushwork and dramatic / emotive subject matter

LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE

Not a realistic depiction of what happened in actuality but an allegory of revolution

Liberty – a partly nude, majestic woman (with an expression of noble dignity), wearing a cap and holding up a French flag, waves the people forward. In her left arm, she carries a bayonet.

She is striding over the dead/dying people. Around her are the bold revolutionaries. The towers of Notre Dame is seen in the background amidst the smoke & clamour.

Eugene Delacroix

LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE

The clutter of the sprawling bodies in the foreground provides a base to support the figures in the central ground. This builds up the frantic energy from the heavy and the inert.

The light flashes like the fire of guns, and the darks mingle freely with the lights. The gestures of the figures form swirls which generates a sense of tumultuous excitement.

Eugene Delacroix


The figure of Liberty dominated the composition; as she leads the charging people trampling over the corpses beneath them, she commands attention. The brightly colored flag she handles forces the eye directly to the center of the canvas. The red - a direct diagonal to a half-naked corpse - floats just over the revolutionists.

The action is congested, mainly taking up the lower portion of the canvas with a concentration spilling over to the center. The background and righter-most portion of the canvas remain mostly desolate, engulfed in the clouds and smoke of the cannons.

Delacroix has created a pyramid structure with Liberty as the peak and the dead soldiers on the ground as the base. This seemly unimportant, and maybe unnoticed, configuration provides balance to the dramatic and busy scene.

This pyramid technique achieves balance in this busy composition.

http://www.artble.com/artists/eugene_delacroix/paintings/july_28:_liberty_leading_the_people/more_information/analysis






What else can you say about the use of lines and colours in the work?

Casper FriedrichCloister Graveyard in the Snow1810Oil on canvas

How do you feel looking at this painting? How did the artist make you feel that way?

Joseph TurnerRain, Steam and Speed1844Oil on canvas

What type of weather is this work showing? How did the artist achieve that effect?

ROMANTICISM

An art movement that developed at the end of 18th century to mid 19th century

Reacted and moved away from the rationalism of Neo-Classicism towards the more subjective aspect of human experience.

ROMANTICISM – MAIN CONCERN

Feelings = Both the subject & object of Art

Importance of feelings and self-expression

Recap. Jacque Louis David Oath of the Horatii 1784-85.

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Transcript of Recap. Jacque Louis David Oath of the Horatii 1784-85.