The Oath of the Horatii: A Neoclassical Masterpiece by Jacques-Louis David

The Oath of the Horatii

Meaning

The Oath of the Horatii is a work that exalts the obligation of citizens to sacrifice for the Fatherland. It was painted in reaction to the Rococo decorative style, the art par excellence of the aristocracy. David opposes the excesses of Rococo with austerity.

Some authors describe the work as revolutionary. Here, David demonstrates how painting could break with Neoclassical and Rococo styles.

Composition

There is great power in the male figures, which contrasts with the grief of the female figures. Together, they form a pyramid. The straight lines of the men contrast with the curves of the women.

The scene seems simple but is a well-studied composition based on a complex network of triangles.

The perspective focuses on the father's hands, which perform the principal action.

There is a clear contrast between the straight lines that define the powerful male group compared to the rounded and smooth lines of the group of women and children.

Plastic Items

In reaction to the tendencies of the 18th century, this painting predominantly features yellow, blue, and red. In the main group of men, the red color predominates, symbolizing passion and the Revolution.

There is a lot of precision in the lines, which are very sharp, and the colors are bright.

Historical Context

David completed the work five years before the French Revolution. In 1789, the French Revolution began, and David, who supported it, helped establish a new political order: the Republic. His ideals were primarily freedom and equality.

David was above all a revolutionary. Later, he became a painter for Napoleon. The revolutionary austerity gave way to the pomposity of the Empire. He exerted great influence on his disciples, and their patriotic and heroic themes paved the way to Romanticism.

The Oath of the Horatii

Year: 1784
Style: Neoclassicism
Location: Louvre, Paris
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 3.30 x 4.25 meters
Author: Jacques-Louis David (Paris 1748-Brussels 1825)

Born in Paris into an upper-middle-class family, David traveled to Italy, where he was strongly influenced by classical art and the painter Poussin. He quickly developed his own Neoclassical style based on the forms of Roman sculpture. The Oath of the Horatii proclaimed the emergence of Neoclassicism. The work showcased a theme of patriotism that became the model for history painting with a heroic tone for the next two decades.

He later adopted a realistic rather than a Neoclassical style to record scenes of the French Revolution. During his last years until his death, he returned to themes inspired by Greek and Roman mythology.

He was also a portraitist, and the humanity in his smaller portraits was greater than in his larger works. There is great technique in his portraits. Modern critics consider his portraits his best work since they were not as contrived as his Neoclassical works.

Causation: Commissioned by King Louis XVI.

Theme

This painting is one of the author's most famous. It is a landmark of French art and often cited as an example of Neoclassical painting. An important reference for the work was the painting of Poussin, who was considered by the Neoclassical generation as the great model of how painting should be: based on drawing, the perfection of the line, with uniform white light, etc.

In the 7th century BC, there was a war between two cities, Rome and Alba Longa, a fight between the Horatii and the Curiatii. David captured the moment when the Horatii, swearing with their arms raised to their father and holding their swords, pledged loyalty to the state and their willingness to die to defend it. But history presents a difficult moral dilemma since one of the Horatii is married to a sister of the Curiatii, and a sister of the Horatii is betrothed to one of the Curiatii. Loyalty to the Republic must take precedence over feelings and family ties. These characters are overshadowed by the children.

The children, offspring of one of the Horatii and his Curiatii wife, are comforted by the mother of the Horatii. The son, as you can see, refuses to be comforted. You can see that even the children will pay the price of loyalty to the state.

One of the Horatii brothers survives the battle. When he sees his sister mourn the death of her fiancé, he kills her, as it was said that any Roman who mourns the death of an enemy must die.