Oath of the Horatii (French: Le Serment des Horaces), is a large painting by the French artist Jacques-Louis David painted in 1784 and now on display in the Louvre in Paris. The painting immediately became a huge success with critics and the public, and remains one of the best known painting in the Neoclassical style.
It depicts a scene from a Roman legend about a dispute between two warring cities; Rome and Alba Longa, when three brothers from a Roman family, the Horatii, agree to end the war by fighting three brothers from a family of Alba Longa, the Curiatii. The three brothers, all of whom appear willing to sacrifice their lives for the good of Rome, are shown saluting their father who holds their swords out for them.[1] The principal sources for the story behind David's Oath are the first book of Livy (sections 24-6) which was elaborated by Dionysius in book 3 of his Roman Antiquities.[2] However, the moment depicted in David's painting is his own invention.[3]
It grew to be considered a paradigm of neoclassical art. The painting increased David's fame, allowing him to take on his own students.[4]
Contents [hide]
1 Commissioning the work
2 Symbolic theme
3 Compositional technique
3.1 Comparisons
4 Reception
5 References