Jean Louis David's Oath Of The Medusa

With the onset of the French Revolution came the idea of making artwork for the public. Work was now able to be created as engaging political and social commentaries. For the first time, artwork created an influence rather than simply illustrating a preexisting one. Both Jean Louis David’s work Oath of the Horatii and Theodore Gericault’s Raft of the Medusa exemplify this.
David’s Oath of the Horatii, painted in 1794, was one of the first paintings that broke from the idea of illustration and provided ideals that helped influence the public. The scene is of three brothers swearing an oath to their father before they are sent to battle, a story from a Roman play. The painting added to the public’s tension that came with the beginning of
Firstly, David painted the work on a roughly 10.7’x14.2’ canvas, a much larger scale than was asked for. David once again defied the wishes of the Art Academy and established his own independence as an artist. Gericault, who did not have a commissioner, also exemplified the idea of the artist’s independence by funding his own massive 16’x23.5’ painting. This was rarely seen in this time, especially for a work of that size. Creating such a large scale painting was a risk as the artist had no guarantee of making his money back. Making an oversized painting allowed it to be accessible and visible to everyone, and helped capture the viewer and bring them into the scene. It also gave the impression that the statements conveyed in the painting were so important that the painting had to be big in order to support them. As for the imagery, the shallow, horizontal and simplified composition of The Oath of the Horatii gave way to the theatrical qualities of the piece. This helped to provide a bridge into the neoclassical style David became so well-known for. A theatrical tone is also seen in Raft of the Medusa, created by dramatic poses and expressions. This drama is seen in those of anguish and despair toward the bottom left of the painting and the contrasting unified mass of figures in the upper right who exude newly found hope and strength. This contrast heightens the emotional extremes and helps provoke emotional reactions in the viewer. This type of contrast can also be seen in the Oath of the Horatii between the strength of the rigid, emotionless, and hardened male figures on the left of the frame and the softness of the huddled, delicate, and mourning female figures grouped on the