Ferdinand Victor Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863), a French painter of romantic period known for his exuberant colors and radical themes. His painting “Liberty Leading the People” is one of the most famous and radical picture of its time. It is a sort of work that in very first glance just capture the viewer’s eye through its dynamic subject. This painting was produced in 1830 with a size of approx. 8 ft 6 in x 10 ft 8 in. The medium of this work is oil on canvas rendered in Romantic style. The subject of this work is derived from the world famous French Revolution that began in 1789 when common people or bourgeois stood for their rights.
This painting is a connotation of strides for uprising, focusing on the determination, commitment and intellectual strength that forced the working middle class of France to get their destination by changing their destiny. We will analyze this work formally as well as contextually by keeping in view the elements and form of the work as well as the historical, psychological and social grounds.
Most of Delacroix’s canvases are dark in background against which he put the vibrant colors to get the desired, visually stimulant effect. This painting is very strong triangularly composed work with figures put mainly in two categories, the figures just lying dead in the foreground in the left-lower triangle of the canvas and the dynamically marching figures on the top-left triangle. Apart from this division, the main female figure is composed just right to the center of the painting with French flag poised exactly in the middle of the frame. This composition itself denotes the main figure with the flag, the determination of the cause; the uprising and the struggle to achieve it, shown by the strides forward, which have placed her high in the picture. With gun in left lowering hand and the tricolor flag in the right rising hand show the hype and importance of the woman. Tricolor flag also harmonized with the triangular composition.
The lively lines used by the painter in this work suggest the unrest that was present at that juncture of time. The uprising is denoted by the movement of lines coming upward from dark bottom part of the canvas. The contrast of dynamic and static lines has put an interesting study in the painting as the foreground with people lying dead represent the horizontality of the area which is without any movement and providing space to the main female figure, who in curvy, live and vertical linear representation portray the energy and effort she is putting in. but the upright posture again manifest the straightness and affirmation of the intention behind the effort.
The flag and the clouds are treated in the same wavy outlines giving a sense of movement, as flag and clouds are linked here for the representation of the liveliness and protectiveness of the cause. The total environment of the painting suggests the change from static, mournful and depressed life to lively, colorful and energetic one. The upper portion of the painting physically stands for the goals that are to be achieved after all the effort. The uprising is rendered physically by upper portion and the deteriorated condition from which the revolt erupted, is denoted by lower dark part of the frame.
Colors used in the painting correspond to the dark foreground with dead bodies and as we go upward, there is light, brightness and sharpness in hues. This treatment of colors is representation of an uprising as darkness represents the gloomy, sorrowful and regretful attitude towards life while the sharp and bright colors on the upper portion suggest the change or hype; all the efforts have been put forth for.
Although Delacroix has treated all parts of the canvass with same technique and the texture of the painting is evenly uniform but he has, by showing clouds and flag moving, created a visual texture to signify the change. The dull and dark lower part has darks and lights but the upper part has got texture within the brightness caused by the smoke of a cannon.
This brightness put against the darkness of the bottom part of the painting, creates chiaroscuro, an optical element that can add movement to any painting, but here keeping in view the French revolution and the efforts for uprising by the middle-working or bourgeois class, the chiaroscuro presented in the painting diagonally, put emphasis on the expedition from darkness towards light. In this painting the presence of dark and light actually refer to struggle for change from low, gloomy and stingy condition to high, bright and satisfied state; an uprising, for what all the people of working middle class gathered and got out of the darkness of mind as well as of fate. The light on the upper right corner of the canvass advocate the shift or swing of the collective as well as the individual psyche of the people that caused them to stride for uprising.
As the main figure of half-goddess, half-human is leading people or showing them the way to uprising, Delacroix has put volume to her figure. She is not a soft skinned, fragile looking semi nude as most of the Rembrandt’s or Renoir’s figures are in keyhole or bathing paintings, but a very strongly built, motivated woman with solid body from caped head to firmly striding toe, showing her stance for a certain cause. Apart from her, no one else has got this quality of “solidity”. The detail of her anatomy, the folds of her dress and the flying tricolor add to her personality massively. The other massive thing is smoke that is painted significantly to show the complete abolishment of the royal rule. Therefore, the volume of smoke is referring an end while the solidity of the female figure represents the beginning of something high and grandeur.
The idea of uprising is so importantly portrayed in this picture, that everything behind has been put ambiguously in the smoke, so we can say the element of perspective is not precisely created, although not neglected. The sole architecture of the Norte Dam on the right suggest the depth or a feeling of distance, or the obscurely painted swords and rifles with emerging heads of few figures from thick smoke of guns or cannons behind the main figure of Liberty suggest a sense of perspective. Otherwise, everything is unclear in the background, which may be intentionally done by the painter, as his main concern is to focus the marching strides towards a destination of uprising, as the entire revolutions do, leaving everything behind.
The plan for this painting is quite symmetrical with lines from both lower corners, going towards a high point in the top middle of the canvass where the tricolor is flying, generating a close composition. The main figure is slightly right from the middle of the canvas while flag and the rifle in both hands imply a sense of triangular symmetry. Basically this painting is on triangular plan, divided further diagonally into two right angle triangles. So it could be said that the painting is balanced due to the fact that the middle figure along with three other marching figures representing the uprising, make a triangular composition. The light and the dark areas also render two triangles; moreover, the canvass is divided into two horizontal rectangles consisting of lying dead bodies and active human beings respectively. Since the space is divided into triangles and rectangles which are balanced geometrical shapes, we can say that the whole composition is balanced and symmetrical.
All the elements of the painting let the viewer to focus on the main figure and her activity that leads to understand the importance and the fatality of the cause; the uprising, for which all the working middle class struggled hard. This struggle has made the whole painting revolving around the main female figure; her body is presented standing high and firm in proportion to the high erected building of the Norte Dame on the right side. Apart from these two elements, all is in supportive proportion. All other figures, background elements, foreground corpse and the centrally placed tricolor (the French Flag) all the elements are suggesting an upward sense which is synonymous to uprising.
There are two focal points juxtaposed close to each other, denoting the struggle and the objective, the uprising would carry about. One is the flying tricolor flag and the other is just beneath that; the exposed upper body of the main figure. Viewer’s eye is on the move from one to the other, causing an upward motion towards the flag; the symbol of successfully achieved goal and the revealing shoulders and breasts of the Liberty; denotation of the sacrifice and struggle the nation has put forth. But at the same time the sympathetic focal point may lay on the central figure with everything live or dynamic behind her. Only the tricolor flag is above her which shows the importance of the flag to fly high as a symbol of the developed mental and social condition of the bourgeois class.
In order to value the strides for the uprising the number three is another dominating factor in the painting. The main active figures other than the main figure are three in number relating to the three color French flag. There are three lying figures in the foreground as well, two dead ones and one alive. The composition of the painting is in triangular pattern, and there are three guns visible in the hands of the activists. The wooden pieces lying on the right side of the painting are also three in number which also bore the name of the painter and the year of the painting. So, there is a repetition of “three” that may also relate the revolution as a sacred activity to the concept of trinity in Christianity.
As the revolution and the relevant struggle were towards a certain goal of uprising, there is not mach variety present in the subject as well as in technique. All the figures and the background represent a radical mode. So there may be found repetition in all the elements but not variety except the light and dark parts which are more to create chiaroscuro.
It could be said that this work is a close composition with central female figure representing the struggle or strides for the uprising. The tall, marching forward female has got the highest point with head turned towards her right shoulder making a connection to the past or people following her. All the other elements in the painting are on both side of the main figure and lesser in height that marks a close composition in a triangular plan. This close composition is actually forcing the viewer to lead to the focal point to imply the importance of the cause, the revolution was all about. Therefore the unity in composition, keeping in consideration the close composition, is a vital factor. This quality is usually present in all the Delacroix’s work since mostly his subjects for paintings are from mythology or deducted from literature. Therefore, he has to consider the unity of composition for the expression that may always be within the limits of his comprehension and its interpretation through painting.
This work of Delacroix is definitely his contribution towards the French revolution, which is also visible through the three wooden pieces lying on the lower right corner of the frame, on which he has put his signatures and the year of the painting. Some critics have suggested that the figure with top hate on, (to the right of the main female figure) is actually the painter himself, but as a painter he is more concerned about his activity as an artist rather than his mere presence in the frame.
On October 12, 1830 Delacroix wrote to his brother Charles,
“I have undertaken a modern subject, a barricade, and if I have not fought for my country, at least I will paint for her.”
In my personal opinion; this is very much the case. The passion Delacroix has put in the dynamic atmosphere of the painting is not just for the artistic requirements. But it was due to the fervor and force, which was behind the revolution, which inspired all the people who had got some sentimentality. Since the artists were also very active along with the writers, one can assume the true sense of participation in the activity. Delacroix was very romantic in his approach towards choosing the subjects of his paintings as he always looked upon mythology, history and literature. He was very much inspired by the dramatic subjects of Shakespeare, so a real drama in the form of revolution should always inspire him.
This work is basically in a romantic style as the idea or the concept is very romantic. But the whole technique of the painting from dynamic lines to chiaroscuro, from triangular closed composition to the mist of smoke, every thing is under a certain peculiar style which is as real as a historically rendered document could be but, at the same time, it is very romantic in its concept and the theme. The semi nude representation of a female figure as the chief character, which seems half-god and half-human also suggests the romantic spell the painter is under while painting this work. The way Delacroix has signed this canvas by putting his name on the wooden pieces shown in the right corner of the frame is also of the same nature of portraying internal feeling of the artist towards the revolution.
To me, at first glance, this painting is like other works of Delacroix but after the detailed study, I would say, this painting is more of an elaboration of Delacroix’s personality, his emotional association with the desired change and the efforts for attaining it.
Although this work intrinsically is a connotation of human emotions and his struggle for the identity, but at the same time, extrinsically this work lies in the romantic time period as well. Therefore, the combination of concept along with form with a sense of dynamism within the canvas and within the subject as well make this work a true picture of the political, social and psychological growth, the French middle working class was experiencing at the time of revolution. The strides of the main characters are the efforts to get the height, the uprising.