Analysis Of The Painting "Horatius Oath" By Jean-c David
"Oath of Horace" - a large picture, painted by French artist Jean-Louis David in 1784. The painting is currently in the Paris Louvre. As soon as the painting emerged from the brush of the master, it immediately gained a great success, both among the public and critics. The painting "Horatius Oath" remains one of the most famous paintings - representatives of the neoclassical style.
The painting depicts a scene from the Roman legend, which spoke of a dispute between two warring cities - Rome and Alba Long. Three brothers, ready to fight for their city, give a sacred oath - an oath to their father, blessing them to fight. I think the artist was trying to tell us love and patriotism sense of this picture. The painting is depicted in neoclassical art style. In its writing, various artistic methods were used. The overlapping of the series of profile figures is a common technique in classical art, and is also used in this picture.
The background of the picture is shaded, while the figures on the frontal plane are highlighted to show their significance. Mercury colors are used to show that the depicted story is more important than the picture itself. A clear composition shows the symbolism of the number "three" and triangle. Preference is given to clear details instead of lungs smears, appropriate for rococo Caloritic emotions are shown only by ladies, while men make their own duty Heroic theme of the whole plot of the picture. Also, the curved lines means that the women are soft and passive.
You can see the sadness/anguish in their faces and see their emotion with their body language. It looks like they’re coming to terms with the reality of war. The men have ridged lines which depict strength and bravery. Brush strokes are almost invisible, all details are depicted as clearly as possible. This way of drawing is typical for the Rococo style. The artist's technique is aimed at the central figures, there are no hints at the veiled meaning of otherworldly objects. Men are depicted in the picture as soldiers - clear, rigid lines. This clarity emphasizes their courage and determination. While women are secondary characters, only complementing the overall composition. Women are curved like arches, this emphasizes their desperation and experience. On the right is a group of mourning ladies: in the distance, Horace's mother bent over 2 grandchildren, closer sister Camilla, wife of the 1st of the Curiatiys, and Sabina, sister of Curiatius and the wife of the first Horatian. In the background, three arches are visible, either of which corresponds to a group of figures: the right one to a group of ladies, the left one to a brother, the central daddy with blades. David painstakingly comprehended the composition of the painting, the "choreography" of the characters and the play of light, which concentrates the viewer's attention at the center of the picture, revealing the moral atmosphere of such extraordinary power that suffering is retreating before it. Thus, David in this picture contrasts the standards of patriotism, civic-mindedness and self-sacrifice in the name of the homeland of the boys to the sufferings and the helpless helplessness of the ladies.
The most noticeable triangle is created by the legs of the man on the left. That shape is then echoed in the legs of the two brothers behind him as they all stand beside each other. Other triangles are on the right side, the two leaning women’s bodies falling into the shape. Attention is accentuated on the crossed hands, represented by the artist in straight lines, which gives classical clarity to David's work. A clear organization of the picture, she has a strict symbolism of the number three, which again is another black artistic classicism.
In this picture, the feeling of patriotism of young people, the faith of the father in their sons, feminine fidelity and devotion is transmitted. David's work "Horatius Oath" reflects the values of the Enlightenment and is a great example of neoclassicism. Moreover, this art has a great importance for me.
I have also gone off to war, I understand how multiple emotions can be present in the same painting. Also, I am keen with the emotions of patriotism and duty. Despite this, I am familiar with the women’s emotions, when I moved.
