Oath of the Horatii
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Oath of the Horatii (1784) is a painting by Jacques-Louis David, painted bevor the French Revolution, depicting the Roman salute. The theme of the painting has an extreme patriotic and neoclassical perspective; it later became a model work for future painters. The painting augmented David's fame, and allowed him to rear his own students.
The painting depicts the Roman Horatii, who according to Titus Livius' Ab Urbe Condita (From the Founding of the City) were male triplets destined to wage war against the "Curiatii," who were also male triplets, in order to settle disputes between the Romans and the city of Alba Longa. As revolution in France loomed, paintings urging loyalty to the state rather than to clan or clergy abounded. Although it was painted nearly five years before the revolution in France, the Oath of the Horatii became one of the defining images of the time.
In the painting, the three brothers express their loyalty and solidarity with republican Rome before battle, wholly supported by their father. These are men willing to lay down their lives out of patriotic duty. In this patriarchal society, the steely men, with their resolute gaze and taut, outstretched limbs are citadels of republican patriotism. They are symbols of the highest virtues of the Republic, even as the tender-hearted women lay home weeping and mourning, content to wait.
The mothers and sisters are shown clothed in silken garments seemingly melting into tender expressions of sorrow. Their despair is partly explained by the fact that one sister was engaged to one of the Curiatii and another is a sister of the Curiatii, married to one of the Horatii. Upon defeat of the Curiatii, the remaining Horatius journeyed home to find his sister cursing Rome over the death of her fiancé. He killed her, horrified that Rome was being cursed. Originally David had intended to depict this episide, and a drawing survives showing the surviving Horatius raising his sword, with his sister lying dead. David later decided that this subject was too gruesome a way of sending the message of public duty overcoming private feeling, but his next major painting depicted a similar scene – Lucius Junius Brutus brooding over the bodies of his sons after he had ordered their deaths for treason.
The painting shows the three brothers on the left, the Horatii father in the center and the sister/wives on the right. Starting from the left, the Horatii brothers, there are the three of them reaching out for their swords as they take their oath. As the patriarchic society, the men show no sense of emotion and are steel rock. Even the father shows no emotions. He holds up three swords. On the right, there are three women weeping. One in the back and two up closer. The one in the white is a Horatii sister weeping for both her fiancée and her brother, as the one dressed in brown is a Curiatii sister who weeps for her husband and her brother. The woman in black in the back is holding two children of one of the Horatii husband and the Curiatii wife. The younger, daughter hides her face in her nanny’s dress as the son refuses to have his eyes shielded.
This painting shows the Neoclassical style. (1) the background is deemphasized, to show that the foreground is more important; (2) The figures are emphasized to show the importance; (3) David uses dull colors to show that the importance of the painting is not the painting itself, but the story behind it. (4) There is clear organization, the symbolism of the number three and the moment itself; (5) There is only clear, hard details and no wispy brushstrokes like the Rococo,. (6) The brushstrokes are invisible showing that the painting is more important compared to the artist; (7) The frozen quality of the painting gives it the feeling that it’s rational unlike the Rococo style. The only emotion is shown is from the women (typically) (8) The fact that it also has a story makes it neoclassical is that it has a morally uplifting story behind it. The fact that it depicts heroism and patriotism shows that it’s important in showing self-sacrifice for the state and fellow citizens.