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The Oath Of The Horatii was originally an order submitted from the French king Louis XVI to David in 1784 (Jacques Louis David was also translated: Jack Louis Davit). After he received the mission, he was not in accordance with the ruler's willingness to paint, but to strengthen the heroic resolute determination. The atmosphere of the painting was clear: for the nation's survival and in order to save the motherland, family and personal interests must be sacrificed. The expressions and actions of the main characters were passionate, and the classical architecture on the background pronounced this solemn mood. When the French people sang “it would be dead if without victory” up to the front and fought with foreign invasion army and aristocratic exiles battle, the encouraging effect of this painting was obvious. It was exhibited in 1785 salon. Because David's political views were misfit with Louis XVI's autocratic power, the thought of this painting completely ran counter to the French royal request. Heras was a family of ancient Rome era. In the ancient Rome Republic period, the Romans launched a war to the neighboring Etruscan people, but people of both sides had marriage relations. In order to avoid a large-scale bloody fighting, both sides reached an agreement for each command and chose three warriors to fight to determine who the city’s highest ruling authority was. In this war, Horatii were selected to combat with the enemy. The old Heras distributed the weapons to the three brothers who stretched out his right hand to oath to the sword...... the fight was ended with three Horatii brothers’ victory. This theme was written as early as in seventeenth Century by the French writer Gao Naiyi, whose main thought was that personal feelings should be subordinated to the interests of the state. The painter used multiple aspects to reveal the theme, making the solemn dramatic scene with abundant richness. Man's fortitude and tragic personality and women’s cry formed the contrast, deepening the theme of thought. The lower right corner of the painting was the three warriors’ mother, wife and sister. Mother worried about this expedition grim possibilities and was torn with grief and sorrow; a woman hugged her children choke with sobs; and the little warrior's sister’s (the right one) mood was more complex, for she had married Ciya people. Both sides’ fight would have a great influence on her own destiny. No matter how many casualties were, it would be her relative’s misfortune. The multiple aspects to reveal the mental state of the painter made this tragic drama with readable richness. Women’s cry formed the strong contrast with the previous three warrior's passionate spirit, which strengthened the ideological theme. The tragic atmosphere was very obvious. The painter was using the pen in his hand to encourage people to struggle for the Republic and freedom. Artisoo supplying oil painting reproductions and original Chinese paintings , custom oil portraits on canvas, and fine art from photos.
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The Oath Of The Horatii, oil painting, Jacques Louis David,
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