David’s “oath of the Horatii”: what symbols the artist encoded in the Patriotic Manifesto

In 1785, visitors to the Paris salon were shocked by the painting of David – “the Oath of the Horatii”, which later became a masterpiece of Neoclassicism. The canvas contains many remarkable nuances that contain hidden meanings of the artist.
In 1784-1785, David wrote The Horatii Oath and demonstrated it in Rome. The painting immediately became a huge success with critics and the public and remains one of the most famous paintings in the neoclassical style. Only one critic spoke unfavorably about the painting: the French scientist and collector Serou d’agencourt noted that such architecture, which David depicted in the background of the picture, was not in Rome until the time of the Late Empire. Continue reading →