Oath of Horatii Flashcards
Subject:
Depicts a scene from a Roman legend about adispute between the two rival cities Rome and Alba Longa.
Livy
First recounted by the Roman historian Livy, although the scene is David’s own invention.
Horatii
In the painting we witness the Horatii men taking an oath to defend Rome. The elder Horatiu gathers his sons in their family home and makes them swear to conquer or die.
Curatii
The rival tribe who the Horatii must fight. Two of the women in the painting are related to the Curatii family by blood or marriage. Their slumped poses and downcast expressions reveal their awareness that whatever the outcome of the battle, their loved ones will die.
Roman atrium
Rigorously organised setting dominated by three Doric arches.
Influence of Neoclassicism
The frozen quality of the painting emphasizes male rationality. The invisible brushstrokes, raking light and structured composition demonstrate the shift in taste away from the Rococo style towards the Neoclassical style.
Rococo women
David acknowledges the earlier style of Rococo painting in the fleshy figures of the women. Pastel colours, averted gazes and curvilinear forms emphasise their passivity and femininity.
Neoclassical men
In contrast, the muscled and athletic figures of the men are more Neoclassical in style.Their angular geometric stances and expressionless faces reinforce their masculinity and sense of duty.
Setting
The male figures echo the three Doric order (associated with masculinity according to Vitruvius) which support the rounded Roman arches which mirror the poses of the women. Reflects the womens’ reliance on men – and the Englightenment idea that women were less equal to men.
Rousseau
Enlightenment philosopher who argued thatthat women could not be true citizens of the state as they are not able to think about civic responsibility – only the personal and the familial.
Rejection of the Rococo style:
Enlightenment philosophers Rousseau and Diderot criticised the frivolity and superficiality of the prevailing Rococo style. David’s history paintingmarked a change in taste towards classical severityof the Neoclassical style, which reflected the moral climate of the Age of Enlightenment
French Revolution
The Age of Enlightenment was a philosophical and intellectual movement prompted by the scientific progress and industrial developments of the previous century. Enlightenment thinkers increasingly questioned the ancien regime and the Divine Right of Kings, prompting criticism of the excess and indulgence of the aristocracy. Painted five years before the Revolution, reflects the political tensions of the period.
King Louis XVI of France
Greatly admired David’s style (the painting was commissioned by his assistant). His growing unpopularity due to royal overspending and the costly Seven Years War laid the foundations for the French Revolution of 1789.
Oil paint as a ‘masculine’ medium
Chare argues that the precise, linear application of oil paint has masculine connotations.
“By the late eighteenth century [oil paint] was established as firmly masculine”.
Exemplum vertutis
Tells a story derived from the Classical world that provides an example of virtuous behaviour – reflecting the Enlightenment ideals of duty above all else.
