AN ANALYSIS OF EUGENE DELACROIX'S LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE
As a superior example of the style associated with Romanticism,prevalent in the first half of the nineteenth-century in which imaginationand the illustration of literary themes played dominant roles, EugeneDelacroix's Liberty Leading the People (1830, oil on canvas) symbolizes theevents of his own time, most notably the popular struggle againstrepression and tyranny during the Parisian Revolution of July, 1830 whichoverthrew the restored Bourbons and placed Louis Philippe on the throne ofFrance. In Liberty Leading the People, Delacroix made no attempt torepresent realistically a specific incident; instead, he provides an The main figure in this painting, a partly nude, majestic woman whosebeautiful features wear an expression of noble dignity, symbolizes libertyas numerous armed citizens rush forward toward unseen barricades, a veryfamiliar revolutionary image associated with the streets of Paris. Libertyherself, wearing the cap of liberty, carries the tricolor banner of theFrench Republic and a musket with bayonet as she advances over the dead anddying bodies of her supporters and the royal French troops. Gathered around
The artistic signature style of Delacroix cannot be discussed withoutfirst dealing with the influences that led to the creation of LibertyLeading the People. According 3to Delacroix himself, the technique and execution of Liberty Leading thePeople was based primarily on his radical colorism schemes, for "there areneither lights nor shades. there is only a color mass for each objectand person, having different reflections on all sides" (Leymarie, 452). Delacroix's observations aresignificant in the area of color, for he advised that the brushstrokes mustnot be fused since at a distance they will appear to naturally fusetogether. In the eyes of most viewers, LibertyLeading the People represents the ultimate example of pictorial art aimedat presenting the revolutionary spirit of France. Delacroix's technique, being impetuous, improvisational and instinctive,epitomized Romantic painting and his Liberty rendering serves as anexpression of Delacroix's ability to catch the impression at the verybeginning of the painting and develop it through the process of execution. In essence, Liberty Leading the People is an artisticdocument of the intimate union of revolution and Romanticism and conveysmore powerfully than any other early 2nineteenth-century painting the political temper of revolutionary Europe, afact which helps tomake this painting so compelling and powerful. The clutter of sprawlingbodies in the foreground provides a kind of base supporting the pyramid-like figures in the central ground, being the main focal point for thepainting's perspective, all condensed into frantic energy from the sublimeto the ferocious. Interestingly, thispainting was designed for large public showings, due to measuring almosteleven by nine feet, which shows that Delacroix wanted his viewers to feeland experience the depth and power of human movement coupled with violenceand revolution. What he learnedabout color was then passed on to later painters of the nineteenth-century,most particularly to the Impressionists. The light flashes like the fire of guns and the darksmingle freely with the lights like the drifting smoke of cannon fire. In this way, the colors gain energy and freshness. From a close observation of this painting, it is obvious that Delacroix wasa master of space, time and motion, for some of the figures, such as thedandy with the sawed-off musket, seem to teeter on the brink of movingright out of the canvas, while Liberty herself is moving rapidly towardsthe viewer as the upper portion of her dress streams out like flowingwater.
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