Liberty Leading The People By Jacques-Louis David

In the times surrounding the French revolution, the people suffered from hunger and were very angry for it, all the while being in a state of poverty. Who else was there to blame other than the aristocracy that ruled the country. To get the minds of the people away from the tragedy that was becoming of France and to commemorate the revolution, artists took it to heart to paint works of art that would either create a sense of maturity in the people or give remembrance to a bloody time.

During the Neoclassical period, one painting that really tries to draw out a sense of duty among the people was Jacques-Louis David’s Oath of the Horatii. The painting portrays several people in Roman garments, these people are the three Horatii Brothers, who are reaching for weapons, their Father who holding weapons for them, and several women, who happen to be family of the three brothers, who also seem to be in a sorrowful state. The story of the painting goes that the three brothers were chosen to participate
The painting depicts several men whom have very different backgrounds being led by a female figure. The female figure, seems to be battle worn, garbed in a torn dress, carrying the French flag. Following her are several men, who come from different backgrounds. One man is seen carrying a hunting gun, dressed in a suit and top hat, possibly hinting that he comes from a rich background. Another man seen dressed as a factory worker is also present. Next to the female figure is a boy wearing cloths suggesting that he’s only a school boy. All these male figures are seen ready to give and ready to fight, whom all come from different backgrounds (Zygmont, n.d.). The painting was meant to be a commemoration of the French Revolution, in that the fight had affected absolutely everyone, from the rich and the poor and to the old and the