Jacque Louis David

Oath of the Horatii

1784-85

• What do you see?

• What do you think about that?

• What does it make you wonder?

Group Discussion

Refer to the given artwork, ask yourself / your group:

Neo-Classicism

ROMANTICISM

ROMANTICISM -- ARTISTS

Francisco Jose de Goya (Spanish)

Theodore Gericault (French) Eugene Delacroix (French)

John Constable (English) Joseph Turner (English)

Casper Friedrich (German)

Francisco GoyaThe Third of May, 18081814Oil on canvas

THE THIRD OF MAY, 1808

Strategic use of a composition that divides the painting into halves diagonally. By having the man in the white shirt brightly illuminated, Goya established him as the main focus. Moreover, the guns are pointed towards this man. Due to the lighting, the man is painted using very flat colours, which in turn, made him more prominent than the rest.

Francisco Goya

THE THIRD OF MAY, 1808

The French firing squad had their side profile facing us, their faces hidden. Dressed similarly with a similar pose, they appear oblivious to the horror experienced by the prisoners. Their uniforms made them look insect-like; their long and sharp swords adds to their menacing stance.

The use of a dark grey sky adds onto the gloomy atmosphere

Francisco Goya

Theodore GericaultRaft of the Medusa1819

RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

Depicted helpless passengers and crew of the French ship, Medusa. They were shown in varied poses – some kneeling with their hands stretched out; some lying down, some looking up to the sky. Together, we see twisting forms and tilting diagonals

Theodore Gericault

Eugene DelacroixLiberty Leading the People1830

Eugene DelacroixLiberty Leading the People1830

Eugene DelacroixLiberty Leading the People1830

Casper FriedrichCloister Graveyard in the Snow1810Oil on canvas

Joseph TurnerRain, Steam and Speed1844Oil on canvas

ROMANTICISM

An art movement that developed at the end of 18th century to mid 19th century

Reacted and moved away from the rationalism of Neo-Classicism towards the more subjective aspect of human experience.

ROMANTICISM – MAIN CONCERN

Feelings = Both the subject & object of Art

Importance of feelings and self-expression

“Imagination abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters; united with it, she is the mother of the arts

and the origin of source of their wonders.”

Francisco Goya

THE THIRD OF MAY, 1808

Depicted the execution of Spanish loyalists by Napoleon’s troops when the French occupied the city

French troops / soldiers are shown lined up at the right; pointing their rifles towards the group of prisoners on the left.

Prisoners are shown helpless – one man in white shirt has both his arms raised and he is being illuminated clearly such that we can see his traumatized expression. To his left and right, other prisoners huddle around each other, some covered their faces with their hands, others looked defiant. Some of the prisoners lie dead on the ground covered with blood stains.

In the far distance, we see a building (maybe a church) against a dark sky

Francisco Goya

THE THIRD OF MAY, 1808

Exposed the prisoners’ plight by illuminating their desperation, fear and helplessness by the lampshade needed in the early dawn for the soldiers to hit their marks

Despite its origins in a historical event, Goya made this painting go beyond the specific references and is a stark portrayal of man’s inhumanity to man

Further reading -- http://www.artmuseums.com/goya.htm http://www.artchive.com/artchive/G/goya/may_3rd.jpg.html

Francisco Goya

“With the brush we merely tint, while the imagination alone produces

colour.”

Theodore Gericault

THEODORE GERICAULT

Painted contemporary events as an exploration of the passionate emotions and truths that underlie them.

Fascinated by violence and horrorDecapitated Heads

c.1818

RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

When the ship wrecked near Senegal in July 1816, the passengers were placed aboard a raft and cut adrift by the captain. At the time of the rescue only 15 of the 149 passengers and crew members were still alive.

A notorious event, involving political corruption and scandal,

since the incompetent captain owed his job to his allegiance to the French monarchy. It was the type of horrific subject that interested Gericault and his contemporaries

Theodore Gericault

RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

The ordeal of the victims involved a struggle against the forces of nature, shown in the painting by the immense stormy sea and the powerless occupants of the raft.

The unequal struggle of man against nature was a theme that fascinated many of the Romantic artists.

Made use of dramatic lighting relationship – powerful light and dark contrasts, to emphasize the plight of the passengers

Theodore Gericault

RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

Gericault’s concept was to make the contemporary tragedy into something monumental and heroic. He made an intensive study of the disaster – he depicted the occupants of the raft just as they sighted the rescue ship on the horizon – which included acts of cannibalism and mutiny. In preparation for this work, Gericault interviewed some of the victims and had the carpenter built a model of the ship for him to study.

Theodore Gericault

Further reading -- http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673236500&CURRENT_LLV_NOTICE%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673236500&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696500815&bmLocale=en

RAFT OF THE MEDUSA

For the composition and poses of the men and women, Gericault referred to the works of Raphael and Michelangelo. Thus the final work was grand in scale and conception.

Theodore Gericault

MichelangeloRebellious Slave1513-6Marble

RaphaelTransfiguration1516 - 20

“A picture is nothing but a bridge between the soul of the artist and that

of the spectator.”

“Everyone knows that yellow, orange, and red suggest ideas of joy and

plenty.”

Eugene Delacroix

EUGENE DELACROIX

Fascinated by the exotic, both of the past and present

Works characterized by rich, brilliant colour, energetic brushwork and dramatic / emotive subject matter

LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE

Not a realistic depiction of what happened in actuality but an allegory of revolution

Liberty – a partly nude, majestic woman (with an expression of noble dignity), wearing a cap and holding up a French flag, waves the people forward. In her left arm, she carries a bayonet.

She is striding over the dead/dying people. Around her are the bold revolutionaries. The towers of Notre Dame is seen in the background amidst the smoke & clamour.

Eugene Delacroix

LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE

The clutter of the sprawling bodies in the foreground provides a base to support the figures in the central ground. This builds up the frantic energy from the heavy and the inert.

The light flashes like the fire of guns, and the darks mingle freely with the lights. The gestures of the figures form swirls which generates a sense of tumultuous excitement.

Eugene Delacroix