Romanticism The Romantic movement emphasised emotion and imagination. Artists embraced themes of struggles for freedom and justice. Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix (Fig. 10.2) is one of the most famous and influential Romantic paintings. It commemorated the July Revolution of 1830, but is allegorical rather than representative of an actual event.
Allegory: A picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Figure 10.1 The Oath of Horatii, 1784, by Jacques- Louis David, oil on canvas, 330 × 425 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Neo-Classicism
Art reacted to politics first with Neo-Classicism. This restrained, disciplined and austere style reflected the mood of the revolution. Jacques- Louis David became the official artist for the government (Fig. 10.1) and he looked back with nostalgia to the heroic deeds of ancient Greek and Roman warriors.
The Academy of Fine Art The Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture was established by King Louis XIV in the 17th century (see Chapter 9, p. 136). After the Revolution it was renamed the Academy of Fine Arts and included an art school, the École des Beaux-Arts. Teaching was firmly based on the Classical style.
Line vs Colour A debate on the importance of drawing over colour began in the Royal Academy in 1671. The Poussinistes,
Figure 10.2 Liberty Leading the People, 1830, by Eugène Delacroix, oil on canvas,
