What’s the story behind the painting Oath of the Horatii by Jacques Louis David?
– Roman soldiers and a concocted salute
– Loyalty and love at war
– Strident brothers and their despairing sister
What makes Kehinde Wiley’s painting Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps a masterpiece?
– Strategic opposition in casting
– War bleeds – Africa glitters gold
– The field of power reframed
Table of Contents for art blog on Madame de Pastoret and Her Son:
• Aristocrats vs. revolutionaries
• Symbols in Madame de Pastoret and Her Son
• Working mothers of the French Revolution
• Prison, exile, and a missing needle
This painting, Young Woman Drawing by Marie-Denise Villers meditates on love versus art. Art wins the contest here. This piece works as a rumination on the self and identity too. That’s partly because of the subject matter. But the situation behind the work tells that story as well.
Death of Marat by Jacques Louis David proves that Masterpieces have baggage too. This well-known piece speaks to us from the French Revolution. Unfortunately, it doesn’t speak the truth. Marat was a friend and ally to David. So, Jacques shone a light on their shared ideals in his death portrayal painting.