Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Socrates

MAestrum of Frans Neoklassiek, Jacques-Louis Davidpainted The death of Socrates Around 1787, a work that reflects the strictness and the ideal of virtue of the neoclassical movement. This painting, executed for a private client, is famous for its dramatic and idealized representation of Socrates, the Greek philosopher, at the time of his forced suicide. Socrates was one of the intellectual protagonists of the old world. His rigorous moral conception had a huge influence on all the following thought, but for his often unconventional opinions he was often in conflict with the authorities. In 399 AC he was tested and convicted because he was guilty of corrupting the spirit of the young Athenians.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTVX-7atpuk

Socrates could have avoided this tragic end, as long as he figured out his beliefs and went into exile, but refused to exchange his ideals, causing her to kar death. To make the David painting, he referred to the story of the events that were offered one of Plato’s dialogues in the Fedone and also consulted a scholar in ancient times. The painter on top of his personal interpretation on the sources lowered the number of reported disciples in the Platonic work and add one or two figures that certainly did not attend as Plato himself sick at the time of the facts. Although it was present, he would have appeared younger than the figure at the foot of the bed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBoyWM2JGWC

The nobility of the gesture of Socrates

Socrates is depicted while, faithful to his principles, he accepts the Cicuta Cup, a symbol of his death sentence. His disciples are struck around him by pain and fear, but Socrates remains calm and stoically, a gesture that underlines his moral and intellectual power. The painting takes place in a large cell, enlightened by a light that seems divine, and emphasizes the nobility of the gesture of Socrates and his sacrifice for truth and justice. David uses a strong Chiaroscuro to give depth to the scene and to emphasize the emotional expressions of the characters, creating a powerful contrast between the serenity of Socrates and the despair of his followers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7VRVSJYZRE

The character resting on the wall is Apollodoro. According to what Plato Socrates says, he sent too shocked through Apollodoro through the upcoming death of the Maestro. David places him against the background of this image in a desperate pain of pain. All figures in the room are friends or disciples of Socrates except the individual with the cup. He is invited to supervise implementation, but is in a state of agitation so that he cannot even observe the event. His fear ensures that the heroism of Socrates stands out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1b0-obtkew

A mix of art and politics

Socrates reason about the immortality of the soul. He increases his finger index to heaven by claiming that there must be a superior reality than that of the earthly world. His detachment in the face of death is clear in the way in which he extends his hand without even looking to grab the head of Cicuta. The sitting man is one of the disciples closest to Socrates. When the sentence was pronounced, it was he who tried to convince the teacher who escaped. By the Metropolitan Museum of Art A preparatory design of this figure executed in black -white plaster is also stored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CyDFHSJ4PM

Only one of the followers of Socrates responds to the approaching tragedy with the same worthy attitude as the master. It is Plato who is immobile at the foot of the bed to turn the drama that has to do. The boss was bent everything taken by the thoughts about the fate of Socrates. The death of Socrates is a clear example of David’s ability to combine art and politics, to communicate ideals of social virtue and personal sacrifice that were central in his time. This painting not only portrays a historic moment, but also acts as a moral and political comment, which invites reflection on the values ​​of antiquity that resonated with the revolutionary ideals of the David’s time.

The work, which is today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is still celebrated because of its majestic composition and because of his emotional and cultural impact, witnessed by David’s skills in transferring powerful messages through his art. Sir Joshua Reynolds called the photo the most important artwork after the Sistine Chapel.

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All messages dedicated to the artist
Jacques-Louis David: The Great Painters https://amzn.to/2UXLBSX
Self -portrait of a revolution https://amzn.to/2j4gznk

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