Oath Of The Horatii Analysis

Since the beginning of time people have art as a form of self-expression, sending out a message to all without using words. Different style and different figures depicted the message of the artist. Painters like David, Goya, and many more made the influential art of the 18th and 19th century in Europe. With styles like Rococo, Baroque, and Romantic there was endless messages to be sent from these artists. Although at times the message is not always clear; for example Jacques David’s Napoleon Crossing the Alps was perceived to be the beginning to end of his career to some and to others they saw it more as propaganda than art. One impactful style of art was Neoclassicism. A prime example of Neoclassism is Jacques David’s Oath of the Horatii. This painting was made in the time of rising action before the French Revolution. David’s purpose in making it was to help spark the revolution;
The painting shows great patriotism and self-sacrifice. David also made The Tennis Court Oath, but this time it was during the French Revolution. The men in The Tennis Court Oath were in similar stances to the men in his work the Oath of the Horatii. David before had wanted to spark the revolution, now that the revolution was in place the purpose of his work was to show to the nation that King Louis XVI was no longer in power. Its intended audience was Louis XVI showing him that the people of France were in defiance and no longer on his side. During the Reign of Terror’s peak David close friend Marat was murdered, and David made a painting in memory of him. In the painting David depicts Marat similarly to Christ causing an outrage in the nation due to how Marat sentenced