how to read world history in art [part 1]
TRANSCRIPT
HOW TOREAD
WORLDHISTORY
IN ART[PART 1]
In a period of justthree days – from
27 to 29 July 1830 –Charles X’smonarchy
collapsed in Paris,overturned by apopular uprisingand the uppermiddle class’s
desire for a moreliberal regime.
1830 The July Revolution EUGÈNE DELACROIX, 28 July: LibertyLeading the People [1830]
The allegory of Liberty has thestrength of Michelangelo's
figures
Exposed breast to make thefigure more heroic. Derived from
classical nudes
Phrygian cap (the cap of liberty)brings this symbolic figure intothe realm of current reality
Her force represents a proud woman of the public
The work has a pyramidalcomposition, with the
personification of Liberty atthe peak, and dead bodies at
the base
The artist intended to represent
all the social groups that
participated in the revolution
Craftsman, not a bourgeois, ascan be seen from the longpants and flannel belt (believedby some to be a selfportrait)
Tradesman with sabre
Unskilled Labourer
This youth is one of the most
famous figures in the painting.
Student’s beret
Battle cry on his lips
Pistols in hand
Ammunition pouch that is too big for him
Smoke of cannon fire
Silhouette of NotreDame in Paris
Liberty Leading the People is a grand ‘manifesto’ that celebrates the people of
Paris and their revolutionary drive.
When it was exhibited at the Salon of 1831, its realism and the figures’ distance
from academic models caused a scandal. To some critics, the woman lookedlike a prostitute and the insurgents like common criminals. Despite this, the
canvas was purchased by the state, but by 1833 it was hidden from public view.
Only in 1863 (the year of Delacroix’s death) was it finally put on display in the
Louvre.
READ MOREin our free LITE - book
and zoom in on every painting