Oath Of The Horatii And David's

Paintings have been used as a representation of people since human race originated. Through time it has become very lifelike and realistic due to the advancement in materials and techniques used by some talented artists. This paper discusses two types of paintings through their similarities and differences, as the first one being David’s Oath of the Horatii, 1784. Oil on canvas, 10’ 10” * 13’ 11”. And, Goya’s The Third of May 1808, 1814. Oil on canvas, 8’ 9” * 13’ 4”. Both paintings were created in different era, as David’s was from Neoclassicism, and Goya’s was from Romanticism. And, both are considered history paintings as it is the representation of the war that was going on during that time in France and Spain. Out of those two, David’s …show more content…
The action unfolds in a shallow space similarly to a stage setting with simple architectural framework. David drew the father in the middle with two groups on each side which carefully balanced. One group being the courageous sons and the other being the emotional and selfish women of the family. The background is de-emphasized, while the foreground is emphasized. David took his time to draw the composition before using the colors, and even the colors he used are dull which shows the importance of the story. It is clearly organized, and he used invisible brush stroke, and he avoided the wispy brush stroke from the Rococo art. The men are all depicted with straight lines mirroring the columns in the background signifying their strength while the women are all curved like the arches which are held up by the columns. And, lastly this art work depicts a morally uplifting story, promoting civic duty over the personal, reflecting the values of the Age of Enlightenment and neoclassical …show more content…
It is put together in a narrow space in two parallel diagonals. There are about eight soldiers, with their faces turned away from the viewer, firing at a group of Spanish countrymen at very close range. The focal point is the Spanish man with his arms outstretched. He is wearing a white shirt and yellow ochre pants, and he is on his knees. Also, if we look very closely we can see piercing in the palms of his hands, which compares to that of Christ after the nails were taken out. There are about seven men surrounding the central figure, and they are in various states of emotions. Some of the men cover their eyes, while others are in prayer. In the foreground, in front of this group of men being executed, is a pile of dead bodies. A square lantern is also situated on the ground between the two groups, and it throws a dramatic light on the scene as it shows how long the war was going on for. And, the color of the lantern compares to the clothing of the central figure. The action takes place outside the city in front of a large boulder, and there is a church seen in the distance. The mood of the painting is very bleak and dull. The colors used are in earthly tones, and there is a strong overall contrast of dark and light. This dramatic lighting technique can be seen in the central figure. His outstretched arms form a V line. This line is reiterated in the collar and pants of the man. There is also a V line