The Neoclassical style developed around 1750 and was a reaction to the vanity and whimsy characteristics of the Rococo style that preceded it. The primary purpose of the Neoclassical style was to emulate the clarity of line, simplicity, symmetry, and logic that existed in the art of ancient Greece and Rome. The archaeological discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum along with the principals of the Enlightenment, revived interest in past civilizations and their accomplishments.
One of the most famous works of the period is the Oath of the Horatii by French artist Jacques Louis David.
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| OATH OF THE HORATII (1784) - DAVID |
The scene of the painting depicts the Roman family of Horatii dressed to go into battle. The two sons are accepting swords and swearing an oath to fight their brothers from another city. The two women on the right have family members on both sides and are distraught over those who might be killed. Another woman in the back consoles the children. The painting stresses the importance of masculine self-sacrifice for one's country and became a metaphor for the French Revolution.
Oath of the Horatii can be seen at the Louvre in Paris, France.
Other famous Neoclassical paintings by Jacques Louis David in the Louvre include The Intervention of the Sabine Women...
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| THE INTERVENTION OF THE SABINE WOMEN (1799) - DAVID |
...and The Coronation of Napoleon (which is also the largest canvas in the Louvre).
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| THE CORONATION OF NAPOLEON (1807) - DAVID |
