Revolution: a violent solution

Monday, May 9, 2011

http://artisword.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/delacroix-liberty-leading-the-people.jpg

Liberty Leading the People, painted by Eugène Delacroix in 1830, is a representation of the July Revolution. Delacroix was the leader of the Romantic school in French painting. He lowered the emphasis on the detail of the characterization of the figures and instead used a wider variety of coloration to give a sense of freedom. Liberty is represented by a built woman carrying the tricolore flag in one hand and a bayonetted musket in the other. Liberty is depicted to be striding her way across the mound of dead bodies. She looks as if she’s going out into the viewer. The people around her are shown as a mixture of people from different social classes. The high class is represented by the man in the top hat and the bourgeoise are represented by the young boy with the pistol. Delacroix paints in the towers of Notre Dame in the left side of the painting, representing liberty and Romanticism and to state that the scene is happening in Paris. Delacroix also uses pyramidal composition which represents victory. The dead bodies form a pyramidal structure, which is made to be a counterbalance to contain and balance towards the vigorous brushwork in the painting and the rhythm of the scene. (Dorbani)

The scene is the representation of the July Revolution. The July Revolution was a three day revolution that overthrew King Charles X and promoted the ascension of Louis-Philippe to the French throne. La Charte, the French Constitution made by Louis XVII, and the fact that France was still ruled by hereditary right, not through popular vote triggered the July Revolution. A shift from the Bourbon Restoration into the July Monarchy. Both were constitutional monarchies but the Bourbon Restoration reestablished the power of the Roman Catholic Church in their politics which upset the French causing civil unrest and eventually the July Revolution. The July Monarchy was achieved after 3 days of fighting and unrest by the people. After the July Revolution, the Belgian Revolution began, later creating the Kingdom of Belgium. (July Revolution). This painting influenced the Statue of Liberty given by France to the USA. The statue is in the similar position but instead of carrying the violent gun, she holds a torch.

Liberty Leading the People shows the scene of pure violence. The depiction of the dead bodies caused by the violence of the Revolution was a pedestal of Liberty; liberty can only be achieved through violence.The painting also shows the weapons used by the people. Lady Liberty herself is carrying a musket and the flag of nationalism shows the violence that happened to get the French tricolore flag as their national symbol and to gain liberty in that Revolution.

Dorbani, Malika Bouabdellah. “July 28: Liberty Leading the People” http://www.louvre.fr/llv/oeuvres/detail_notice.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673237674&CURRENT_LLV_NOTICE%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673237674&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696500815&baseIndex=2&bmLocale=en.

Wikipedia. “July Revolution.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_revolution.

Wikipedia. “Liberty Leading the People.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Leading_the_People.

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Introduction

These artworks show the Violent Revolutions in the past few centuries. Guernica shows the early violence that the Spanish Civil War had during it’s time. The painting itself consists of dead bodies, ghosts, and body parts lying around showing the violence of the Revolution and it’s casualties. It is Picasso’s depiction of the bombing of Guernica by Nazi Germany which was a trial run of Blitzkrieg. Liberty Leading the people depicts Lady Liberty of France with the dead bodies of the soldiers and the new advancements of warfare technology (guns, cannons, etc.) that caused violent deaths for a lot of people at that time. The dead bodies represent the violence needed for liberty. The Russian Propaganda shows the force needed by the Soviet Union to promote the Communist government by killing off and eradicating all other influences to the people. The Spirit of ’76 shows the violence of the warfare fought by the depiction of the dead body in the foreground and the wounds of the soldiers coming back from the Revolution. The Tiananmen Square Massacre photograph, The Tank Man, shows the protests of 1989. It shows the tanks as the violence that was happening during the protests, though the man was not run over by the tanks.

Tragedies of War

http://spikeyliu.blogspot.com/

Spikey Liu's blog consisted of a general theme of the dangers and consequences of war and the violence in war. Spikey used thae painting named "Gassed." This painting shows the horrors and the violence of the mustard gasses used in WWI. Even though there are no sights of pain and agony, the violence of the First World War is depicted through the yellowish green color of the mustard gas used, the piles of dead or wounded soldiers in the foreground and background, and the wounded/blinded soldiers. The Third of May also depicts the violence through the blood and deaths of the victims and the focused man surrendering and pleading for his life to be spared.

Fight for Liberty

http://7k1mzx.blogspot.com/

Through the artworks in Thomas Kim's blog, violence created in the process of Revolution is further shown. The Death of Marat by Jacques Louis David represents the French Revolution, a period of time where violence between humans was clearly shown and sometimes even called "barbaric." The painting itself shows Marat in his medicinal tub working on his newspaper that consists of the names of people to be captured and sent to the guillotine. The French Revolution called for the killing machine to be the death penalty of possible traitors to the regime. The Egyptian Revolution of 2011 includes the number of people who were part of the somewhat violent revolution to overthrow Mubarak, the current ex-president of Egypt, and to gain liberty and freedom from the corruption of Mubarak. Violent demonstrations broke out during the Egypt Revolution due to the corruption of the government.Though the revolution was successful, people were killed and injured during the protests and the clash between the protesters and the security forces.