Rousseau and the Artists of the French Revolution
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, (1712-1778) was a French social philosopher and writer. His book Du Contrat Social, ou Principes du droit politique (Social Contract) published in 1762, emphasised the rights of the people over the government and was a significant influence on the French Revolution . Rousseau believed that people were not social beings by nature. He stated that 'Society corrupts individuals by bringing out their inclination toward aggression and selfishness' . Fundamental to Rousseau's beliefs for the utopia of society was for each individual to believe in the same collective way to govern society. He believed that individuals should give up their rights of personal selflessness for the good of society as a whole. His answer therefore was to find a 'form of association which defends and protects with all common forces the person and goods of each associate, and by means of which each one, whilst uniting with all, nevertheless obeys only himself and remains as free as before . . . .' . When structuring his utopia of the 'General Will' Rousseau believed that 'although the natural man perceived himself as an individual, he must learn to think collectively in order to create a society '. Therefore to evolve into a humane and a
greeable society people should give up their natural rights of appetite and conform to society by consenting to the process of law which has made them free - collectively consenting to the 'general will' - a single correct path for people to follow or the policy which is equal in everyone's interests. The 'Oath Of The Horatii' (Oil on canvas, 330 x 425cm, 1784. Signed: L. David faciebat Romae Anno MDCCLXXXIV, Musee du Louvre, Paris) is one of David's most renowned paintings and occupies an extremely important place the history of French painting . The classical story behind the painting would have been well known in eighteenth century France and depicts three Horatii sons/brothers chosen to settle a dispute by fighting three champions of the Curiatii. The drama lay in the fact that one of the sisters of the Curiatii, Sabina, is married to one of the Horatii, while one of the sisters of the Horatii, Camilla, is betrothed to one of the Curiatii . Despite the ties between the two families, the 'Horatii's father exhorts his sons to fight the Curiatii and they obey, despite the lamentations of the women' . The painting is dated 1784, two years before the French government faced bankruptcy and subsequently increased taxes (the traditional start for documentation of the French Revolution ). However, it seem tempting to forge a link between the painting and the presentiment of family against family in revolutionary civil war The painting shows the father encouraging his sons to at the least fight for their rights, and possibly die for the state. It shows the comradary of the three brothers linking one arm whilst raising the other to swear an oath of allegiance. The majority of the painting follows the classical style by depicting the males as muscular and highly defined, their fixed, stern facial expressions reflecting the dignity of their moral and patriotic purpose . The women are clearly separated from the men and are portrayed in softer delineation and more sensuous tones. The painting is extremely large, both in height and width and was constructed for public exhibition. It can therefore be perceived as didactical to the common peop
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Approximate Word count = 1454
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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