Neoclassical & Revolution

In this blog, I will be talking about three Neoclassical art pieces that were intertwined with the French Revolution “Prise du Palais de Tuileries”, “Liberty leading the people”, & "Victoire of France”. The Neoclassical Art Era occurred in the 1700s and it was an attempt to mirror the same standards that the Greeks and Romans showed in their art. Neoclassical art depicts the expression of the virtues of life and shows a moralizing message. It was a return to study what the Greeks and Romans studies… science, history, mathematics, and anatomical correctness.

French Revolution

    French Revolution took place from 1789- through the late 1790s. The reason for the revolution

was widespread dissatisfaction with the French monarchy and the economic policies of King Louis XVI.

A lot of the population in France was suffering from famished, and the monarchy was depleting their

economy due to the involvement with the American Revolution. The people were suffering from poor

harvest, drought, cattle disease, and high food prices. Rioters were panicked by rumors of an imperial

military coup as a result they stormed into Bastille Fortress to secure gunpowder and weapons.

This is what is thought to be the beginning of the Revolution. People began riots and burning tax

collector’s homes. In January 1793 King Louis XVI was captured and sentenced to death for treason

and crimes against the state. 9 months later Marie Antoinette suffered the same faith. Napoleon

Bonaparte abolished the Directory and made himself the “first Consul” in 1799. Marking the end of

the French Revolution and giving ways to the Napoleanic Era.

“Prise du Palais des Tuileries”

by Jean Duplessis-Bertaux

    This painting shows the end result of August 10, 1792. This painting depicts both revolutionaries and Swiss Guards dead or fighting in front of the Tuileries Palace amid a storming by revolutionaries. Hundreds of guards and 400 revolutionaries were killed as a result. 

• About the Artist 

    Jean Duplessis-Bertaux was born in Paris sometime around 1747 (historians are unsure of the correct date) and died in 1819 (also unsure of historical correctness but it is estimated around that time). Duplessis-Bertaux was a French painter and Illustrator well known for his revolution paintings. He was also part of the French Revolution as an Officer in the French Army. Fighting in the Bretagne against the Chouans. He was later imprisoned in 1794. In his last years of life, he published an outstanding amount of works, this included 100 genre pictures. 

You can see his collection here: http://www.artnet.com/artists/jean-duplessis-bertaux/

• My analysis

    At first glance of this painting, we see what it depicts… a battlefield. Let’s look closer at it though. This painting depicts Swiss Guardsman ordered by King Louis XVI to protect his palace. The soldiers in red represent the palace guards and the ones in blue and normal clothing represent the revolutionaries. Let’s start with the bottom of the painting, we see soldiers either dead, dying, or being killed. The artist does a beautiful thing here; he makes this section exposed to “light”. What do I mean by that? I mean he emphasizes this part to showcase the drama that this event had, we see soldiers from both sides of the war dead on the floor bleeding and others being stabbed by swords, you see the astonished disbelief that this is happening to them and the realization that they are about to die. When we move up to where the soldier in blue is with the horse, we see the beautifully depicted bottom of the horse and the raw power this warhorse has and is capable of. I absolutely love how Duplessis really only gave features to the people surrounding the hurdles of people and the rest are just silhouettes but it still gives you the depiction that they are a lot of people in that huddle. My favorite part of this painting is that Duplessis shows the sparks in the riffles barrel to show that they are being fired. And the beautiful smoke clouds are just perfect. Overall this is a beautiful painting showcasing a tragic event.

“Liberty Leading the People” 

by Eugene Delacroix

    Liberty Leading the People is considered to be Delacroix’s masterpiece.  The painting depicts a woman leading the revolution with her breast exposed. The woman is wearing a Phrygian cap, which represents freedom (the reason these caps are referred to as freedom is that slaves that were free were them to show others that he/she was a free black man/woman). This painting was is considered to be a personification painting. A personification that the revolution was for everyone and not just soldiers.

• About the Artist 

    Eugene Delacroix was born in Paris in 1798 and died in 1863. Delacroix was a french Neoclassical/Romantic Artist. Delacroix was orphaned at the age of 16 and was then taken in by a friend of the family, though to possibly be his legitimate father, Talleyrand a diplomat. Because Talleyrand was pretty well of Delacroix received a very good education and began his training in 1815 under Pierre-Narassee Guerin in Neoclassic style painting. His first major painting was “The Barque of Dante” in 1822. (if interested you can see that painting here: https://www.wikiart.org/en/eugene-delacroix/the-barque-of-dante-dante-and-virgil-in-the-underworld-1822-1) 

• My analysis

    I really like the beauty this painting depicts, it shows that if you want to change you have to fight for it, and if you don’t anything will change. This painting captures the essence of freedom. It shows that these people don’t care about each other status; this is clearly shown with the two figures on the left side of the painting where the is an African and French man standing next to each other and their statuses are depicted with the clothing they are both wearing, the African men is wearing loose trousers and a working shirt and carrying a what looks to be a sword, while the man next to him is wearing an elegant black suit and is carrying a hunting rifle. To the other side of the woman is a young boy that looks to be no more than 10-12 yrs old carrying 2 pistols and firing one into the air and still wearing what looks to be like a school satchel. I love how Delacroix used the lighting factors to express more importance on the woman in the center and show that it doesn’t matter who you are and what status you carry, what age, race, or gender you are. If you want to change then you must fight. My favorite part of this painting is the skit of lady liberty, Delacroix gives it such a gorgeous flow by using depth and lines to make it seem like it’s flowing as she walks over to make a change. My least favorite part about this painting is that Delacroix places these revolutionaries walking over what looks to be dead people. You can clearly see piles of dead people on the ground and it doesn’t really seem to phase them. But again aside from that, I feel like it also conveys a message that “yes people are dying but that’s not going to stop us from making changes”

“Victoire of France” 

By Jean-Mark Nattier

    Victoire was a French Princess, she was the 7th child and 5th daughter of King Louis XV and Maria Leszynska. She was loved and praised for her good-natured personality and kindness. “Madame Victoire was handsome and very graceful; her address, mien, and smile were in perfect accordance with the goodness of her heart”(5) “ her beautiful, tender, soft brown eyes, gave the impression of happiness and health, which, together with her desire to please, radiated from her whole personality” (5). Victoire did not fancy Queen Antoinette and was among those gathered when Antoinette’s bedroom was attacked. Madame Victoire and her sister tried to escape France in February 1791 and fled to Rome, however, revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries gardens and demanded the king that he make his aunts return to France. They eventually made it to Rome in April 1791  and were placed under the protection of the Pope. After Revolutionary France invaded Italy in 1796, Victoire and her sister left Rome to Naples where her other sister was Queen.  When Naples was invaded they again fled to Corfu and ended up settling in Trieste; where she died of breast cancer. 

• About the Artist

    Jean-Marc Nattier was born in Paris in 1685 and he was the godchild of history painter Jean-Jouvenet and received formal training from him as well. In 1715 he sought out membership to the Academie as a painter of historical subjects. Two years later he was invited to join Peter the Great in Holland as a personal painter. He then made 6 historical paintings for the gallery of Palais du Temple. In 1745 Nattier was promoted to “associate professor” at the Academie. Unfortunately, in 1761 he found himself in financial strains and was forced to sell the content of his studio he died 4 years later and was buried in his parish church of Saint-Eustache. 

• My analysis

    I absolutely love this painting, Nattier did an excellent job at capturing Madame Victoire’s fragile, elegant beauty. Notice how he made the background a beautiful light blue with specks of white making it look like soft clouds. My favorite part of this painting is the dress that Madame Victoire is wearing is exquisitely done, you can see all the delicate brushstrokes and gradients he used to make the lacing look realistic. The lace ruffles on the top of the dress look almost translucent, they match the color of her skin so precisely. However the lace ruffles of the sleeves are a bit wilder and if you look closer you can see that the brushstrokes go in different directions, to make it look “puffier”. Now looking at the bodice of the dress you see all those delicate little details that give it the appearance of patterned fabric. My least favorite thing is the base with flowers, I mean it’s stunning but it looks 2 dimensional. The pillar that Madame Victoire is leaning on does look three-dimensional but the base looks flat. Giving it the appearance of a flat object. Overall this is a beautiful painting and I would love to own a copy.

Works cited 

1. “Insurrection of 10 August 1792”, Wikipedia.org, Feb.5, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurrection_of_10_August_1792

2. “Jean Duplessis-Bertaux”, hisour.com, https://www.hisour.com/jean-duplessis-bertaux-14001/

3. Dr. Bryan Zygmont, “Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People”, Khanacademy.org, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/enlightenment-revolution/a/delacroix-liberty-leading

4. “Eugene Delacroix”, Wikipedia.org, Feb. 25, 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Delacroix

5. “Victoire of France (1733-1799)”, Wikipidea.org, FEb.15, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoire_of_France_(1733%E2%80%931799)

6. Joseph Baillio, “Jean-Marc Nattier”, NGA.gov, 2009. https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1746.html

7. “French Revolution”, History.com, Feb. 4, 2021. https://www.history.com/topics/france/french-revolution

8. “Neoclassicism”, theartstory.org. https://www.theartstory.org/movement/neoclassicism/