The Oath of the Horatii
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The Oath of the Horatii
Jacques-Louis David
By 1784, David was already an experienced painter but this painting for King Louis XVI was his first royal commission – the perfect opportunity to make a name for himself! He therefore went all out to create a masterpiece, inventing a new style that put him at the forefront of the neoclassical movement. David had always admired the classical ideal of beauty but here, rather than following the contemporary fashion for romantic scenes inspired by Greek mythology, he chose to give his work a moral and patriotic dimension with a subject from Roman history: the Horatii brothers, Rome’s chosen champions, who swore an oath to defeat their enemies or die for their country. In fact, David invented this particular episode for the purposes of his painting. He added emotional impact by depicting the grieving women of the family, and his painting was a triumph at the annual Paris Salon.
‘The Studio of the Horatii’
The Oath of the Horatii was an instant hit and was copied by artists all over Europe. David’s studio was the place-to-be for young painters, and those he accepted as his students jokingly called it ‘the Studio of the Horatii’ in honour of this outstanding and innovative work.