Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.
Introduction
Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix can be considered one of the most iconic paintings in the history of art. Delacroix depicted the events of the 1830 French Revolution against the monarchy in a monumental work executed in Romantic style. French nations fight for civic freedoms inspired the painter, who completed his epic work in three months (McManus and Perruci 59). Initially, Liberty Leading the People received mixed reviews and was quickly taken down from the exhibitions in France (Zelazko). However, the time has turned Delacroixs Liberty into one of the most powerful and well-known symbols of freedom and peoples strength.
One can argue that Eugene Delacroix challenged the dominant neoclassical style by subverting the typical symbols of neoclassicism. For instance, Liberty in the painting resembles depictions of ancient Greek and Roman goddesses. However, Delacroixs Liberty does not watch people from the skies instead, she leads them into the fight (McManus and Perruci 59). Feldmans model of art criticism allows one to understand the power of the painting through description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment. Overall, Delacroix skillfully used geometry, colors, and texture to create heroic, inspiring imagery that can be evaluated with several philosophies, such as contextual and expressive theories.
Description
The oil painting is large in scale, which corresponds with the historical significance of depicted events. According to Zelazko, the scale of Liberty Leading the People is 2.6 x 3.25 meters. The work can be considered representational since it conveys the atmosphere of brutal street fights. Delacroix depicted a crowd of Parisians fighting on the barricades against the royal troops and added a heroic figure of Liberty in the center of the composition. According to McManus and Perruci, civil unrest was provoked by Charles X, the French king who attempted to dissolve the parliament, restrict suffrage to the nobility alone, and limit freedom of the press (59). However, the uprising forced Charles X to flee and abdicate from his throne. Delacroix shaped the painting into two distinctive rectangles and a triangle (Chaulagain 193). The first rectangle unites people who follow Liberty into battle; the second one consists of fallen royal soldiers. The triangle has a base of the corpse-littered barricade and an apex of the French tricolor held in Libertys right hand. Lastly, Delacroix used rough brushstrokes and dark, grim colors, except for Libertys naked breast and a patch of clear sky around her.
Analysis
Eugene Delacroix used several principles of design in order to convey his ideas. For example, the image of Liberty leads the eye to the upper-center part of the painting. The directional force emphasizes the pyramids apex the French flag held high in Libertys hand. In addition, Delacroix paid significant attention to the visual balance Liberty, clear sky, and the banner of the Revolution is in sharp contrast with the mob and dead bodies at the barricade. The contrast is primarily created via color, with the darkest motifs located closer to the bottom edge of the painting. Furthermore, Delacroix made the negative space more interesting by including small details. For example, a viewer can look at the people following Liberty and find the representatives of various social strata artisans, students, soldiers who joined the Revolution, and wealthier citizens. Their ranks are blurred; however, one can still see numerous musket barrels and bayonets in the air. On the right side of the painting, one can notice the famous Notre Dame cathedral engulfed in smoke as fighting rages on the streets. Overall, the principles and elements of design depict a brutal struggle for a just cause.
Interpretation
The meaning of the painting largely corresponds with the subject an uprising in defense of civil freedoms. Essentially, Delacroix made a political statement in support of the Revolution. For instance, the painter depicted wide popular support of the revolutionary goals, as his Liberty is followed by men and women, young and old, poor and wealthy alike (McManus and Perruci 60). A viewer can see a boy wielding a saber, a slightly older boy brandishing two pistols, and a well-dressed citizen armed with a musket. All these people rebelled to defend their freedoms unjustly assaulted by the king. In this regard, Delacroixs Liberty can be seen as a beacon of hope and light for the oppressed. A goddess who became a street fighter, she wears a Phrygian cap, an ancient Roman symbol of freed slaves (Stovall 7). French people who follow Liberty win their freedom by the force of arms rather than waiting for the kings grace. The dark colors and composition of the painting demonstrate that freedom may come at the high price of bloodshed. Nevertheless, Delacroix presents Liberty in the aura of light, convincing the viewer of the righteousness of the revolutionary cause.
Judgment
Liberty Leading the People can be evaluated with several principle theories of art criticism. In particular, the formal theory is focused on highlighting the influences of other styles and works on the artists. Contextual theory considers the sociocultural context of the circumstances under which a work of art was created. Finally, the expressive theory attempts to trace an artists self-expression in order to evaluate their work. In regard to the formal approach, Delacroix was heavily influenced by the daring and novel Romantic style. As a romantic painter, he actively used colors and rough brushstrokes to portray the needed atmosphere (Chaulagain 194). From the contextual theory standpoint, Liberty Leading the People was influenced by the climax of the struggle between the monarchy and the people. When Charles X attempted to seize freedom from the French people, the French rose to defend their liberty from the crown. (McManus and Perucci 60). Lastly, the painting became a form of powerful political self-expression. Delacroix wrote to his brother: If I havent fought for my country, at least Ill paint for her (McManus and Perruci 57). As such, the romantic style perfectly matched the surge of French civic nationalism.
Conclusion
Through the application of Feldmans model of art criticism and evaluation via several philosophies, such as contextual and expressive theories, one can see how Eugene Delacroix created a powerful symbol of freedom. Liberty Leading the People is based on various principles and elements of design, including directional force, balance, contrast, and motifs of color. In his image of Liberty as a heroic, godlike woman, Eugene Delacroix made a strong political statement in support of the civic freedoms of the French nation. He showed that the road to liberty might be paved in blood. However, the painter sympathized with the revolutionary cause since the alternative in the form of absolute monarchy was the greater evil from his standpoint. In the end, Delacroixs Liberty became a renowned symbol of resistance against oppression, despite the mixed reception of the painting during the artists life.
Works Cited
Chaulagain, Yashoda. Visual Position and Juxtaposition: An Analytical Study of Liberty Leading the People and Moon-Woman Cuts the Circle. Tribhuvan University Journal, vol. 32, no. 2, 2018, pp. 191-202.
McManus, Robert M., and Perruci, G. Understanding Leadership: An Arts and Humanities Perspectives. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2019.
Stovall, Tyler. White Freedom and the Lady of Liberty. The American Historical Review, vol. 123, no. 1, 2018, pp. 1-27.
Zelazko, Alicja. Liberty Leading the People. Encyclopedia Britannica, Web.
Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.