Oath Horatii

Jacques Louis David's Oath of Horatii is the best known and most explicit depiction of neoclassical painting, owing to its inclination to patriotic concern and stiffness. Apparently, Pierre Corneille's play named Horace is the inspiration behind David's work. The play is acclaimed for promoting masculine values and civil conduct. However, it is important to note that the part on the oath wasn't in the play. The work by David is laced with significant tension that transmits a powerful feel. The play is presented on a theatre-like stage. The three sons of Horace are pledging loyalty and allegiance to Rome; even as it leads them to feud with the hero from Albano city, Curatii, which also happened to be their brother in-law.

Jacques painting is depicted in two parts. On one side, the left, the men are portrayed in patriotic mood and valour while the other side shows these men seeming to have resigned to their fate. Such a scenario is in contrast with the code of unity expected. Further, it is clear that the composition isn't centrally placed. David decides to go liberal and ignore some of the traditional rules of art and design. Consequently, with the painting, David emerged as a founder of a new school of art and painting in France. Indeed, if his work emulates the virtue and civility concerns mentioned earlier, it is regarded as a fresh portrayal in the public eye (Dubois, 2008).

David is said to have grown up in a wealthy family of his uncle who served as a minister to the King of France. He gained his initial skills and mastery of art in the studio owned and run by the famous Rocco master known as Francois Boucher. He was a distant relation. David finally won the Prix De Rome prize after trying and failing on several occasions. The prize was awarded to an outstanding painting student once every year.

The Prix De Rome prize provided financing for art in the city of Rome for a period of five years. The winners acknowledged Antiquity and High Renaissance pieces. These artists dedicated their time to select works by Baroque masters. David took it to his own thoughts and reversed the hierarchy. He focused, largely, on Antiquity works, Renaissance and Nicolas Poussin.

It is clear from the works by David that he rejected the Rocco style. The smooth brush work that was reminiscent of the works is conspicuously missing. The organic compositions and the soft colour influences were conspicuously missing. The subject also shifted. There is a document that reveals the occurrences and the shifting tradition. The Swing by Fragonard highlights love pleasures among the ruling class. The viewer is meant to savour an aromatic texture and view in an indulging focal encounter (Dr. Zucker & Dr. Harris, 2016).

In what seems a direct contrast, David conveys a narrative of three male siblings who oath before their father to the effect that they are willing to die in the defence of the city of Rome, their home city. It is a legendary story about the birth of Rome. A lot of the Neoclassical painting borrow themes from ancient Greek art and Roman painting traditions. The Oath of Horatii follows suit. In the presentation, the three brothers of Horatii have been selected to represent Rome in a battle fronted against three male siblings from Alba, a neighbouring city. The three brothers are portrayed swearing oath as they hold the swords presented by their father. There is a twist in the painting story, the lady portrayed on the right side is one of Horatii's sisters, and is married to one of the men on the opposite side; the side of the Curatii. One of the Horatii's comes back home from battle, his sister condemns him for killing her husband. The altercation erupts in a nasty encounter and the brother decides to kill her because she puts her interests before her country. The concept is about being patriotic at all costs. This sacrifice must be one that transcends all else including ones own life and members of his family (Dr. Zucker & Dr. Harris, 2016).

The most captivating aspect of Jacques Louis David's art work, the Oath of Horatii, is the striking way in which he combines all the neoclassical, Greek and Roman art forms and the accompanying melodramatic events of the brothers in one piece. He succeeds in depicting an intense drama in a single stroke. The painting alerts the audience of the happening already gone and what is on the way soon. The scene interestingly isn't found in any of the narratives of old time. There are several ironies captured in the painting. Camila is seen on the right side. She is a sister to the Horatiis but betrothed to one of the Curatti men. She almost faints in her swooning movement towards her sister in-law's shoulder on which she lands. Her name is Sabina. Sabina is a sister to the Curatti (Locating the Viewer in Formalist Aesthetic Theory and French Neoclassical Art, 2007).

The work by David was representative and significantly influential in the revival of the neo-Pousinist which carried a lot of the compositional and subject choices by the famous Academy. The French art enthusiasts had been conditioned to inspect and consider ancient art subjects as living examples of heroism and sacrifice that was inspired and essential qualities of maintaining the state. David delivered in that regard. The Oath of Horatii was heroic, didactic and often described as propagandistic. It is a classic example of a classical painting that was done for the purpose of promoting societal wellbeing and maintenance of social order (Locating the Viewer in Formalist Aesthetic Theory and French Neoclassical Art, 2007).

Apart from its artistic grandeur, the painting by David carries significant political innuendo. The masterpiece as shown in the 1975 exhibition was noted to represent the ultimate message of loyalty. Indeed, there was political unrest brewing between the lower class and the elite rulers of France. The piece was to become an enigmatic symbol of the French Revolution. It was seen as a mobilizing slogan for fronting the ancient Rome republican values. David succeeded in using events to depict the political unrest in France. He also suggested the ideals of loyalty to the state as perceived by the republican perspective. Indeed, the masterpiece was celebrated. It was sensational and helped David reap mega profits. David was a firm believer in radical republican stance. He captured these feelings in his paintings before the actual revolution. He brought along popular support from the public. David often sympathized with the republican politics but his paintings often expressed an inclination to gaining more profit and protection (Benson, 2013).

Neo-classical art embraced values of harmony and societal balance. Of course such balance was often delicate. The tradition and culture was based on the logic and reason of the Antiquity considerations. It provides the necessary background information that makes it possible to understand the piece. The painting has a significant basis on architectural aspects of ancient time. The Oath of Horatii achieves a sense of harmony and balance by using the Roman arches which have subjects evenly separated around it. This contributes to the stability of the painting further.

The Oath of Horatii reflects the honourable benefits that accrue from self-sacrifice via the power and strength of the Horatii brothers. There is a sense of calm in the facial expressions of the brothers represented by the painting. For example, in this painting, the women are portrayed in slumping postures; a symbolic gesture that they are in distress because their men are leaving for war. The looks on their faces are serene; a contrast to the inner unsettling feeling they must be experiencing. Viller's piece of painting also presents a similar scenario. The soft colour and the light intensity trigger a feeling that the subject is at ease. However, after an in-depth analysis, the viewer begins to understand the torture that the woman endures on the inside. The stance can be explained by the fact that emotion and public expression of the same was castigated and discouraged in the enlightenment period. Thus, none of the paintings explicitly portrayed emotion. At first glance, reason and logic seem to dominate the piece (Rubinstein, 2012).