Oath of the Horatii

Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784
BY MOHAMMED CHAUDHRI

French painter Jacques-Louis David became the most influential artist during 18th century. He successfully set the example of Neoclassicism, a style is heavily influenced by the art and history of ancient Greece and Rome. He was a beast when it came to keeping the geometry influence in his pieces similar to how Romans and Greek dudes used to do.

The Oath of the Horatii blends ancient Rome and French Neoclassical elements, such as strong geometrical figures to define the new style that David had mastered. The piece itself tells the story of two families at war in Rome. The Horattis and the Curattis were having a conflict between three brothers on both sides. The catch is that both families have baes that are related to each-other, so if anyone dies they all suffer, which sucks.

The architecture such as the columns and arches are bold and define the dynamics of the family presented in the piece. The men are rigid and strong like the columns, while the women are curved and dependent on the columns. This is his most popular creation due to the fact that it's straight up Neo Class. 

  • 7:00 AM

Isolation: Oath of the Horatii

1784
Isolation
Solitude and Painting
Curated by Tommy Dunn

Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784

In addition to fitting my theme, Oath of the Horatii might be the coolest painting I ever laid eyes on. I remember first seeing it on the cover of a book about ancient Rome in my preteen years. I failed to grasp its significance. I saw it next in the Louvre on a trip to Paris before freshman year. Even then, I did not see what made it such a great painting; it was significant only in that it was one of the few paintings in that museum not named the Mona Lisa that I could recognize. It was only this year, in art history, that I managed to figure out why this painting stuck with me so doggedly. I really do love this painting. Every theme I thought of managed to include a spot for this painting within its ranks. Part of my love for it is the history, certainly. The context of the painting gives it new meaning; David painted this call to arms to defend the ancient Roman republic as a direct analogy to a call to arms to defend the newly created French Republic. However, every time I look at this painting I feel as though I get something new about it.

Today I'm going to talk about a different type of isolation. This type of isolation is not really related to loneliness, but rather fear and sacrifice. These young men are taking an oath to defend their republic in solo combat. The way that this isolates them can be seen in the looks on their faces and on those of the women crying in the background. They are sublimated by their willingness to sacrifice. They epitomize everything the republic is about, and yet they stand separate from it as they defend it.

  • 7:00 AM

Member Dismemberment - Oath of the Horatii

David

Member Dismemberment
A Look at Limbs 
Curated by Kate Sims

David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784
“[The arts] should help to spread the progress of the human spirit, and to propagate and transmit to posterity the striking examples of the efforts of a tremendous people who, guided by reason and philosophy, are bringing back to earth the reign of liberty, equality, and law. The arts must therefore contribute forcefully to the education of the public... The arts are the imitation of nature in her most beautiful and perfect form... Those marks of heroism and civic virtue offered the eyes of the people [will] electrify the soul, and plant the seeds of glory and devotion into the fatherland.” Goldwater, Artists on Art

David’s Oath of the Horatii illustrates a scene from Roman Legend where two competing cities go to war with each other. Three brothers from the Alba-Longa family plan to fight three brothers from the Horatti family. Each of the brothers is willing to give up his life as the last male standing wins the war for his city. The painting can be divided into three sections. The males do not show emotion with their faces, but rather with their arms. The brothers, who eagerly ask for their father’s blessing, jut their arms forward, mimicking the swords and cascading upward, revealing complete confidence in the situation. Their father, raises the swords with arms spread toward the heavens. He is asking God to look over his sons as they go to war, as well as offering his sons as a sacrifice to the city.

On the other hand, the sisters and mother are holding their heads in their hands or dropping their arms to their sides. Greif has overtaken their bodies and literally immobilized them. The women are the only ones allowed to feel emotion because they do not have heroic responsibilities. The stillness of these characters against a plain dull setting elevate the importance of the situation. The limbs in Oath of the Horatii display the mental and physical differences between men as the tragic heroes and women as the weaker sex.

  • 10:00 AM