Liberty Leading the People
Artist: Eugène Delacroix
Year Composed: 1830
Artistic Movement: Romanticism
Nationality: France
Floor Found in Château: Third Floor
Year Composed: 1830
Artistic Movement: Romanticism
Nationality: France
Floor Found in Château: Third Floor
About the Artwork
Eugène Delacroix's most iconic painting, Liberty Leading the People, is a visual metaphor for the July Revolution in France. Also known as the French Revolution, the July Revolution of 1830 occurred due to the complete maltreatment of King Charles X upon the people of France. The citizens led a revolt that overthrew the King and gave way for his cousin, Louis Philippe, in order to start progressing from rule by ancestry to rule by popular sovereignty. The central woman in Delacroix's painting is the metaphorical representation of the country and citizens of France, as she carries the flag as a way to highlight the nationalism and pride exuded by the French in order to execute this revolution. The painting is, to this day, still a symbol for the nation of France, and is one of the iconic centerpieces within the Louvre Museum (Paris, France).
About the Artist
Along with friend Théodore Géricault, Eugène Delacroix was a French-born Romantic painter who depicted scenes or allegories of the culture of France during the early 19th Century (or the early 1800s). These Romantic paintings were vibrant in both color and in emotion, containing an abundance of drama and fluidity that would feed viewers. Paintings like Delacroix's Death of Sardanapalus (1827), Massacre at Chois (1824), and his most famous Liberty Leading the People (1830) all captivated the minds and hearts of viewers within France, from the noble families to the common classes of French society.
About the Movement
Liberty Leading the People was composed in the Romantic Age of art. Romantic art originated in Europe during the end of the 18th Century (or the end of the 1700s), and spread through the middle of the 19th Century (or the 1800s). It emphasizes emotion and feeling of individuals as well as almost glorifying nature and history. Unlike the Baroque and Renaissance where the focus was more Classical in nature, Romantic art focused more on the Medieval, adding sort of a heroic sense to the artworks. Some of the most famous Romantic artists included Eugène Delacroix, J.M.W. Turner, and Francisco Goya.
Location of Original Work of Art: Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Eugène Delacroix's most iconic painting, Liberty Leading the People, is a visual metaphor for the July Revolution in France. Also known as the French Revolution, the July Revolution of 1830 occurred due to the complete maltreatment of King Charles X upon the people of France. The citizens led a revolt that overthrew the King and gave way for his cousin, Louis Philippe, in order to start progressing from rule by ancestry to rule by popular sovereignty. The central woman in Delacroix's painting is the metaphorical representation of the country and citizens of France, as she carries the flag as a way to highlight the nationalism and pride exuded by the French in order to execute this revolution. The painting is, to this day, still a symbol for the nation of France, and is one of the iconic centerpieces within the Louvre Museum (Paris, France).
About the Artist
Along with friend Théodore Géricault, Eugène Delacroix was a French-born Romantic painter who depicted scenes or allegories of the culture of France during the early 19th Century (or the early 1800s). These Romantic paintings were vibrant in both color and in emotion, containing an abundance of drama and fluidity that would feed viewers. Paintings like Delacroix's Death of Sardanapalus (1827), Massacre at Chois (1824), and his most famous Liberty Leading the People (1830) all captivated the minds and hearts of viewers within France, from the noble families to the common classes of French society.
About the Movement
Liberty Leading the People was composed in the Romantic Age of art. Romantic art originated in Europe during the end of the 18th Century (or the end of the 1700s), and spread through the middle of the 19th Century (or the 1800s). It emphasizes emotion and feeling of individuals as well as almost glorifying nature and history. Unlike the Baroque and Renaissance where the focus was more Classical in nature, Romantic art focused more on the Medieval, adding sort of a heroic sense to the artworks. Some of the most famous Romantic artists included Eugène Delacroix, J.M.W. Turner, and Francisco Goya.
Location of Original Work of Art: Louvre Museum, Paris, France