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Feb 8, 2023 · If you enjoy Neoclassical art, then Oath of the Horatii (1784) by Jacques-Louis David is a staple in your art history knowledge bank. But what makes this such a significant history painting? This article will explore this question and more in the Oath of the Horatii analysis.
- Alicia du Plessis
- Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825)
- ( Author And Art History Expert )
- 1784
Oath of the Horatii, oil painting by French artist Jacques-Louis David that was completed in 1785. The work, depicting a scene from Roman legend , created a sensation when it debuted and remains one of the best-known Neoclassical paintings.
Oath of the Horatii (French: Le Serment des Horaces) is a large painting by the French artist Jacques-Louis David painted in 1784 and 1785 and now on display in the Louvre in Paris. The painting immediately became a huge success with critics and the public and remains one of the best-known paintings in the Neoclassical style .
- Conquer or die. The story of Oath of the Horatii came from a Roman legend first recounted by the Roman historian Livy involving a conflict between the Romans and a rival group from nearby Alba.
- A rigorously organized painting. Hand (detail), Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, oil on canvas, 3.3 x 4.25m, commissioned by Louis XVI, painted in Rome, exhibited at the salon of 1785 (Musée du Louvre)
- An example of Neoclassicism. In beginning art history courses, the painting is typically presented as a prime example of Neoclassical history painting. It tells a story derived from the Classical world that provides an example of virtuous behavior (exemplum vertutis).
- Going back to Poussin. Nicolas Poussin, The Rape of the Sabine Women, c. 1637-38, oil on canvas, 159 x 206 cm (Louvre) Nicolas Poussin, The Rape of the Sabine Women, c. 1637-38, oil on canvas, 159 x 206 cm (Musée du Louvre)
- No one had seen a painting like it. In 1785 visitors to the Paris Salon were transfixed by one painting, Jacques-Louis David’s Oath of the Horatii. It depicts three men, brothers, saluting toward three swords held up by their father as the women behind him grieve—no one had ever seen a painting like it.
- Conquer or die. The story of Oath of the Horatii came from a Roman legend first recounted by the Roman historian Livy involving a conflict between the Romans and a rival group from nearby Alba.
- A rigorously organized painting. To tell the story of the oath, David created a rigorously organized painting with a scene set in what might be a Roman atrium dominated by three arches at the back that keep our attention focused on the main action in the foreground.
- An example of Neoclassicism. In beginning art history courses, the painting is typically presented as a prime example of Neoclassical history painting. It tells a story derived from the Classical world that provides an example of virtuous behavior (exemplum vertutis).
Mar 15, 2024 · Detail. In a Neoclassicist masterpiece painted on the eve of the French Revolution , Jacques-Louis David depicts the beginning of an epic Roman story in The Oath of the Horatii. Patriotism and masculine self sacrifice are shown in a passionate decision that sets the fate of a family and nation for better and for worse.
Dec 12, 2023 · It grew to be considered a paragon of neoclassical art. The painting increased David's fame, allowing him to take on his own students. In 1774, David won the Prix de Rome with his work Érasistrate découvrant la cause de la maladie d’Antiochius. This allowed him to stay five years (1775–1780) in Rome as a student from the French government.
