The Oath Of The Horatii By Jacques-Louis David

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The Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David was considered a revolutionary painting for its time. Although his painting was one of a kind, David was still influenced by others and by his environment for his work. This painting was the first to break the rococo style and started the movement that is now known today as neoclassicism. The Oath was one of David’s more “mature” work as he used all his acquired experience “from his experiments in pantomimic expressivity and corporal communication based on the model of sculpture (Veiled Head of a Woman, Head of St.Micheal, etc.)” (Johnson, p.16). Indeed, this painting was one of his latest works only followed by the paintings The Death of Socrates and The Lictors Returning to Brutus the Bodies of his Sons.…show more content…
“He considered the face as part of bodily expression, not as a dominant but as one element among many that contributes to pantomimic communication. He was interested in the subtle, complex physiological and psychological content of gesture and pose” (Johnson, p.19). David often met Diderot at the intellectual soirees given by Micheal Sedaine where David grew to greatly admire Diderot’s revolutionary philosophical ideas. The artist’s admiration for these philosophical ideas can be seen through the strong body language given by the characters on the painting. Indeed, the men’s body position shows their strength and courage as they stand firm and straight, while on the other hand, the women’s weakness can easily be seen from their slouched body position without even looking at their

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