Freedom guiding the people

Freedom guiding the people is a very outstanding table of Eugene Delacroix. It was besides on banknote of one hundred frank and on postal stamps French.

This work is found in an engraving representing the Révolution of July. The character with the hat, in the beginning a revolutionist on barricades is identical there, and the woman with the French flag is represented there by another revolutionist holding a red flag. This original engraving following the example “Freedom guiding the people”, was found on a Soviet stamp .

Historical situation

Eugene Delacroix writes with his brother the October 18th 1830: “If I did not overcome for the Fatherland, at least will paint I for it… ”. This work represents the Glorious Three, a popular rising against Charles X, which lasted 3 days, July 27th, 28th and 29th 1830. Charles X having founded laws liberticides, the people revolted then reversed it. Louis-Philippe replaced it in the “Monarchie of July”.

The artist himself belongs to a long line of large revolutionists whom the “country of the revolutions produced”. Delacroix did not accept the standards of the Académie. In painting it was hardly interested in the Greek and Roman styles with insistence on the drawing and the imitation of the ancient statues. Delacroix privileged the color with the drawing, imagination with the knowledge, the spontaneousness of the gesture on the control. He travelled much to the the Middle East and in North Africa. The drafts which it brought back provided him a great repertory of topics (drives out with the lion, scenes of war…)

It is about a work full with vitality, action and audacity. It is the union of the people of the suburbs and the revolutionary middle-class, represented by the characters respectively with the left and the right-hand side of Freedom (of its place).

This work is rather imposing since it measures 3,25 m out of 2,60 Mr.

The young boy who holds up a gun in the airs inspired with Victor Hugo his character Gavroche in the Poor wretches which was written 30 years later, the character with the hat is also represented there like a son of aristocrat, revolutionist and friend of Gavroche and Jean Valjean. It is one of the rare loans of the literature to the painting, whose relation of influences is generally in the other direction.

On the character with the hat, on the left of Freedom, the critics thought that Delacroix had made a self-portrait, but nowadays still the question remains outstanding.

The romantic exploit the atmosphere much. In this case, one feels called, one feels that one belongs to the people.

For better seizing what distinguishes the romanticism from the preceding current, let us note that if this table had been traditional, Freedom would look at right in front of, it would be centered in the work, it would be perched on a base, and not on a pile of corpses, and the flag which it carries would not be truncated.

In France, this table was used to illustrate the frank banknotes of one hundred of 1978 to 1995, and the series of stamps of everyday usage “Liberté” of 1982 to 1990.

Anecdotes

In 1999, at the time of a voyage for a five weeks exposure to the Japan, the centres (overdrafts) of the Liberté were masked at the time of a stopover in the Gulf. The original framework of the table was broken during this same voyage. The framework of replacement (simple) mask all edges of the fabric.

In 2006, the Turkish government required of the editor of a school handbook to withdraw this illustration of its school book for the same reason.

In 2006, the American State of the Maine considers this table, which illustrates the label of beer of the Sans-culottes (Brasserie Choulette), like “undignified gold improper” (lack dignity or indecent). The marketing of this beer will give place to a debate on freedom of expression in Maine and four other States of the United States of which that of New York.

References

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