Neoclassicism: Oath of the Horatii (1784) by Jacques-Louis David

Romanticism:

The Plagues of Egypt (1800) by Joseph Turner

Style Guide

Representing the Neoclassicist period of art is the French painter Jacques-Louis David's (1784) Oath of the Horatii, painted for the French government (prior to the Revolution) in Rome. It conveys a Republican sentiment, both in form and in function (as the story of the Horatii was an old one from ancient Roman history that told the story of two brothers who banded together to fight oppression within the city-state). This same theme of taking a stand against oppression would be important in the coming years in France and especially in Paris, where the revolution would break out in force. This painting thus delivers up a theme that is in full support of the classical ideals represented by the Horatii as they take arms and prepare themselves to fight the corrupt officials reigning over them (Bietoletti).

The painting also uses line and color to express the Neoclassicist thought then in vogue especially in France. The symmetrical balance of lines in the painting provide a classical-like structure for the subject and the visual expression: the arcade in the background, buried in shadow (much like a Baroque era painting) allows the action in the foreground to be framed and to stand out more vividly. The supports of the arcade are echoed in the shafts of the blades held aloft as the Horatii reach for them, uniting themselves in the challenge to topple oppression....

The geometrical proportions of the painting are exact and fitting: the Horatii are framed by two pillars but take center stage in the painting are thus are portrayed in a heroic light, while draped in red, which is the color of martyrdom (a foreshadowing of the fate that the Horatii would suffer in their crusade to liberate the oppressed). The ideal characteristic emphasized by the painting is therefore clear: honor, duty, and sacrifice for one's people.
The classical style to which this work of art returns is emphasized by the representation of the Roman columns, the Roman subject, and the Roman classical postures of the characters. To the left of the Horatii are the women who represent the oppressed class: they are fatigued and weary and the pose is harmoniously constructed as the one leans into the other to form a triangle shape, their heads united at the top in an expression of tiredness and lamentation in the style of the ancients.

In this work, one can see the trademark distinctive style of Jacques-Louis David, who would go on to have great prestige in the French Republic, painting the ideal themes and narratives of the Revolution with its Republican focus and neoclassical focus on austerity, symmetry, and harmony (Bordes).

Representing the Romantic period of artwork is the painting by Joseph Turner entitled The Plagues of Egypt (1800). In this painting, Turner takes his trademark style of whirling atmospheric impressions and applies them to the ancient story set in Egypt of God visiting the land…