Liberty Leading the People, 1830
By Eugene Delacroix
The masterpiece Liberty
Leading the People, by Eugene Delacroix, speaks
volumes about the state of affairs in France during the mid 19th century. Ignoring
the style, the content of the painting alone is both extremely expressive and
modern. The painting depicts the July
Revolution of 1830: men revolting, lead but a partially clad woman with a
flag and a rifle who is supposed to be the "Liberty" described in the
title.
Not only does the
painting literally represent what was happening in Paris, but it also socially
represents the changes of society. The painting shows the progressive unification
of the social classes in France assembled ready to rise up and usurp the power
of the Bourban Monarchs and install Louis
Philippe as king. Charles X's rule was so tyrannical that both the bourgeoisie
and working class felt compelled to revolt. This was a modern concept for France
because it contrasted earlier revolutions in which the monarchy had catered to
one specific class causing them to revolt. This resulting unification is evident
through the wide variety of classes represented in the painting. The man with
the top hat and the black suit on the left side represents the bourgeoisie.
The prominence of the man in the painting even seems to foreshadow the emergence
of the bourgeoisie as the dominant class in France. While it seems the bourgeoisie
is the "left hand" of "Liberty," the "right hand"
of liberty is the working class, of course represented by the young boy. In the
background there is also an assortment of angry characters follows the "Liberty"
character, most likely representing the fact that this revolution is a triumph
of the masses over the monarchy. The final characters yet to be discussed in the
painting are the dead and dying at the bottom of the painting. The look of wonder
on the face of character at the feet of "Liberty" looking up her gives
the casualties a heroic light: they died for freedom; they represent individual
sacrifices for the greater good. The painting is really a metaphor for the struggle
for power: the working class is fighting for "Liberty" in more than
one way. The first is that their goal is freedom ("Liberty") and the
second is that their commander is "Liberty" and they are fighting for
her.
This painting was
one of the first to portray the working class in a positive light. While many
of the portraits preceding this revolved around aristocratic figures, Liberty
Leading the People revolves around "Liberty" and the unification of
the bourgeoisie and the lower class.
The presence of the lower class in the background strengthens the ideal that the
power is in the hands of the people; this is their city, and their battle. Bathed
in the glory of liberty, the lower class is represented as a heroic group of people
fighting for what is rightfully theirs, an ideal which they deserve: democracy.
Because of the values of democracy and equality are so important in the composition
of this painting, both in the choice of content as well as the actual organization
of the figures points to the fact that this painting is at least somewhat modern,
but definitely associated with the avant-garde. In exhibiting modern traits in
content choice this painting sets the stage well for more "socially aware"
paintings to come in the future.
Eugene
Delacroix's piece exemplifies his words taken from an excerpt in his journal
called "Beauty not the only aim of Art." He writes "All those young
men of the school of Ingres have something pedantic about them. It seems that
there is already a very great merit on their part in having joined the party of
serious painting: that is one of the words of party. I told Demay that a whole
lot of men of talent had done nothing worth while, with that mass of fixed opinions
that they they impose on themselves, or that the prejudice of the moment imposes
on you. That is the case, for example with that famous idea of beauty, which is,
as everybody says, the goal of the arts. If it is their only goal what becomes
of the men like Rubens, Rembrandt, and all the northern natures generally, who
prefer other qualities?"1 His point
is that the goal of art is not always that of beauty. Art is not only made to
be admired, it is also made to tell stories, explain history and articulate political
opinions. The combination of the concepts of beauty and an alternative reason
for the art sum up well the idea of the avant-garde.
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