A Background on the painter-
Jacques-Louis David
'Their father, upon learning their disposition,
rejoiced exceedingly, and lifting up his hands to
Heaven, said he rendered thanks to the gods for
having given him noble sons.'
'A treaty was concluded between the Romans
and the Albans, providing that the nation whose representatives proved victorious should receive the
peaceable submission of the other.'
'...they accepted the combat ...'
This is the earliest treaty recorded
'...sent ambassadors to the Alban to inform him that the Romans accepted his proposal and would offer the Horatii to fight for the sovereignty.'
"Hear, O Jupiter, hear! thou Pater Patratus of the people of Alba! Hear ye, too, people of Alba!
For full access, please visit:
http://www.archive.org/stream/roman
antiquities02dionuoft/romanantiquities
02dionuoft_djvu.txt
For full access, please visit:
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Livy/Livy01.html
http://www.archive.org/stream/romanantiquities02dionuoft/romanantiquities02dionuoft_djvu.txt
The Roman
Antiquities of
Dionysius of
Halicarnassus (Book 3)
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Livy/Livy01.html
Livy's History of
Rome (Book 1)
'Father, we would have accepted this combat for the supremacy and would have been ready to suffer whatever should be the will of Heaven'
"My aim is to make each spectator question his own heart, articulate his own feelings, and thus form a personal judgement and a vision based on his own character, tastes and predominant emotions- providing, that is, he has emotions because unfortunately they are essential for the appreciation of art."
- Stendhal (1824)
TWO SIDES: Horatii and Curiatii
Working towards inquiry-
'...rather be dead than to live
unworthy both of you and of our
ancestors'
analysis of historical background
'There happened to be in each of the armies a triplet of brothers, fairly matched in years and strength.'
The 'Oath of the
Horatii' is said to reflect David's...
http://www.archive.org/stream/romanantiquities02dionuoft/romanantiquities02dionuoft_djvu.txt
'The kings suggested to them that they should each fight on behalf of their country, and where victory rested, there
should be the sovereignty. They raised no objection; so
the time and place were fixed.'
What effect do you think David's 'ACTIONS' would have on his painting?
INSPIRATION...
Write a ONE paragraph response to the question outlined above on page seven (7) of your worksheet.
- Politically didactic purpose
- Doctrine of the educational power of classical
form
- Method of composing the Neoclassical picture
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Livy/Livy01.html
It is said that David had THREE DIFFERENT sources of inspiration.
They were:
- Copy these 3 points on page 8 of your worksheet
- As we analyse David's painting, keep these 3 points in mind
- Livy's History of Rome (Book 1)
- The Roman Antiquities of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Book 3)
- Pierre Corneille's tragedy 'Horace'
- Does David's painting reflect these three points?
Joined scholars and artists in soliciting
the revolutionary government abolishing
the old Royal Academy
In its place, panels of experts were
established to guide the reformation of taste
David's position of power made him
DOMINANT in the TRANSFORMATION of STYLE
David was prepared as both
an artist and as a politician
Pierre Corneille's
tragedy 'Horace'
The French Revolution offered the
opportunity to create a public art
The ACTIONS of Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David
believed:
Additionally...
"The arts must contribute forcefully
to the education of the public"
A Jacobin friend of the radical Robespierre
What do you think David meant
by this?
(Symonds, Portley & Tansey, 1980)
A member of the National Convention that voted for the death of the king
Anita Brookner (1974) said:
A quasi-dictator of the Committee on Public Education- directed art programs of the
new republic
...it comes from
'Neo classicism is an element of the purest hope of creating a better, or at least an alternative world in which virtue, morality and the desire for good would prevail.'
somewhere
Draw's on Livy's account between the battle of the Horatii and the Curiatii
TERM:
'Neoclassicism'
- A revival of classical antiquity inspired directly from the classical period (Ancient Greece & Ancient Rome)
- Prominent in Europe and North America from about 1750 through to the first decades of the 19th century
- More than just an antique revival- it was linked to political events
French born (1748-1825)
A BRIEF BACKGROUND
Consolidating the meaning of terms
BRAINSTORMING IDEAS!
TASK:
Using the dot points provided, write a ONE sentence definition for each term in your own words on page 5 of your workbook.
Napoleon
Neoclassicism
French Revolution
- A French painter/ideologist who introduced neoclassicism in France
- A leading exemplar from the time of the French Revolution to the fall of Napoleon
Using Livy's AND Dionysius'
accounts, create a 30 second tragedy play to inspire Jacques-Louis David!
The Construction & Interpretation of History Over Time
TERM:
'FRENCH REVOLUTION'
Below is Jacques-Louis David's 'Oath of the Horatii' painting.
TERM:
'Napoleon'
An Introduction to the ORIGINS of the 'Oath of the Horatii'
- Duration: 1789-1799
- A period of radical social and political upheaval in France
- All groups of people came together and divested the authority of the king
- Changed Europe irrevocably
- "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
- These ideals became the platform of liberal reforms in ..............France and Europe in th 19th century.
- Continue to remain a part of our present day democracy.
- 1769-1821
- One of the greatest military commanders of all time
- Consolidated and institutionalised the reforms of the French Revolution
- Greatest falling: 'attitude rather than technique' (underestimating enemies)
- 1812: defeat of Napoleon and the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Working towards inquiry-
Individually, take a look at the painting and brainstorm ideas around the question:
the influence of historical sources
Our Class Ideas...
Let's see if we
can now add to
our ideas...
... and even more ideas
What does this painting show us?
Collaborate and record our ideas as a class
More ideas....
Did David represent a specific historical source (Livy, Dionysius), or was David's 'Oath of the Horatii' a product of his own?
Ideas
Write each idea in a separate cloud.
HINT: branch similar ideas with falling raindrops
Subject: early Roman history
Record your ideas in your workbook on page three (3).
'...Shrouded in mythic-heroic...'
The moment depicted in the
'Oath of the Horatii' is
David's INVENTION
CASE STUDY:
Neoclassicism and the French Revolution- Jacques-Louis David's 'Oath of the Horatii'
Compare these points to your first brainstorm (page 3 of your workbook)
...fictional stories since antiquity'
Summarising the ANALYSIS of the
'Oath of the Horatii'
For a summary of the analysis of the 'Oath of the Horatii', watch the following short video...
Responding to Inquiry Questions
'Changing Thoughts'
CONCLUDING IDEAS
Did you have different ideas? Why do you
think this is the case?
Having spent several lessons on this case study, it is now time to consolidate our understanding and respond to our four (4) inquiry questions!
Having learnt about Jacques-Louis David's background and the origins for the idea of 'Oath of the Horatii' do you now see and think different things when you look at the painting?
Write down your response to this question on page 10 of your workbook.
Write down 3 dot points on page 10 of your workbook to the question:
What does this painting show me?
When France was making the transition from monarchy to republic, David was making a difficult artistic transition, moving away from depicting ancient history to representing contemporary events.
- Nonetheless, David kept alive in his painting the Roman spirit characterised by pietas virtus (bravery, moral uprightness) and severitas (sternness)
Write a 1,500 word essay (pages 18-20 of your workbooks) responding to all four inquiry questions:
- Who made this artefact?
- Why did they make this artefact?
- What was their engagement with the classical world?
- What does this engagement add to the understanding of the piece?
Anita Brookner (1974) states:
Working towards inquiry-
Visible...
...More specifically,
this male figure is the CENTRE of the painting- WHY?
finding meanings in sources
(Johnson, 2006
& Winkler, 2009)
Both arms
are raised
The brothers helmeted heads are all visible
What other aspects of all four stoic males did David also make clearly visible in his painting? Why do you think this is the case?
The MOST
dominating aspect is
the presence of the four
stoic males
An Introduction to ANALYSING the 'Oath of the Horatii'
All the brothers legs are visible
'When one comes to analyse these paintings it can be proved that they contain many layers of meaning'
The clothing and the helmets of all four men are all anachronistic
Empty right
hand- fingers
are stretched
out and
NOT touching
Working towards inquiry-
What makes
them dominant?
finding meaning in sources
David was an artist descendant of
the old academy. Subject matter must have 'grandeur and moral'
Why do you think David kept all of the stoic male figures arms and hands in clear view?
His left hand is
holding up three
swords
Keeping this in mind, David described the 'Oath of the Horatii' as...
"the marks of heroism and civic virtue offered the eyes of the people will electrify its soul, and plant the seeds of glory and devotion to the fatherland"
Did David achieve
this in his
painting?
Why or why not?
What's the first
thing you notice?
Three sons
facing their father- swearing an oath
(Johnson, 2006 & Winkler, 2009)
Position of
arms is IMPORTANT
Dominance
Two Groups
As we go through an ANALYSIS of the painting, complete the activities in your workbooks (commencing on page 11)
What is the MOST dominant aspect
in the painting?
We are presented with TWO
groups in the Doric atrium
The POWER
of THREE (3)
A group of four men: three younger positioned across from an older man
The third brother
holds his left arm the
highest up
Women sadly sitting and consoling with one and other and their children
Each son extends
their hand to their
father
Three
Roman arches
Three sons
swearing an oath
Three swords
Position of
arms is IMPORTANT
The
Stoic Male
Emotions-
heroic?
The second brother raises
his left arm higher than
the first brother
The
Pleading Female
The brother closest
to us is holding his right arm almost horizontally
"the body politics appears in the form
of the sons, its chosen representatives; they stand on equal footing with the father...and receive from him in a charged and ecstatic exchange the instruments of power"
"the women appear more unconscious than overcome by grief; their poses are slack, and they seem, though correct in their scale, strangely
diminished
creatures"
Reading the
meaning in the stoic arms and hands
- A succession of arms raised progressively higher reminds us of the Fascist salute
THEREFORE...
- The brothers palms face downward
Thinking
beyond the frames of paintings
'The virtues of masculinity are associated
with civic life and femininity aligned
with the private life.'
Who is more heroic in the painting- men or women?
Why are heroics portrayed through gender?
Do you agree or disagree?
Why or why not?
Has this view of heroism progressed or remained the same since the classical world?
What about
the small boy?
What is the purpose of this small boy in David's painting?
Write down your brainstormed ideas to the question on page 15 of your workbook
Discuss why you think the women in the painting averted their heads and closed their eyes?
- How does this affect David's portrayal of heroism?
Collaborate and record ideas as a class
... even more ideas
More ideas....
The small boys'
purpose is...
Ideas
- The small boy pulls down the fingers of the woman attempting to shield his eyes
- This little boy becomes the ONLY eye-witness to the swearing of the oath taking place- they oath to fight to the death
- All the secondary characters (women) have their eyes closed and heads adverted
Write each idea in a separate cloud
HINT: branch similar ideas with falling raindrops