Liberty Leading the People: Analysis

Liberty Leading the People - Eugène Delacroix (1830)

In the painting, it can be seen a woman leading a group of armed men, walking through dead bodies, and rising the French Flag. 

The woman, who is the main focus of the painting, has her yellow dress torn off, showing her breasts, her right hand is holding the French Flag, and on her left hand she's carrying a rifle. Around the woman, there are armed men, some of them look like people of the lower class, but the man on the right of the woman is probably from the middle class or even the lower high class. Around the woman, dead bodies of men covered with wounds and blood can also be seen, they are laying on the debris of a now destroyed building or platform (remains of wood and rocks can also be seen). These dead men have uniforms, indicating that they are probably royal guards.

Behind the woman, aside from the crowd of armed people who seem to be shouting, a cloud of smoke is seen covering some buildings of a city. 

As it was said before, the woman is definitely the main focus of the painting. Not only because she has the French flag on her hands, but also because of the colors and tones that the painter uses for her. Unlike the rest of the people on the painting, she has bright yellow clothes, and her skin tone is probably lighter than the others' (light is directly hitting her, helping her to look brighter). There is also a bright cloud of smoke behind her, making her stand out. All the armed men are looking at her, making it clear that she is the one guiding the crowd. Now, the rest of the people are painted in such a way that avoids the eye from getting distracted from the lady. They have all similar clothes, with darker tones and less vivid colors: a not very saturated blue and brown can be appreciated in many of their clothes. Even the dead guards have clothes that look similar to the crowd's; but they are painted with very little light, so that they are one of the last elements that the eye sees in the painting; it's easy to miss their uniforms, unless the helmet and the patterns on the shoulders of the dead men on the right down corner are seen. The painting is not very clear, but it can be presumed that the dead man laying without his trousers is also a guard, that has been stripped from his clothes by the crowd.

Now, the route that the eye takes in the painting is quite interesting. As mentioned before, the eye is immediately drawn to the flag and the woman. Then, then, the eye directs is attention to the men following her, and rising their arms next to her. Finally, the eye goes down to look at the dead guards, finishing the path in the background smoke and 

There are many ideas and messages that the painting tries to communicate. First of all,  taking into consideration the year of the painting, the French flag and the name of the painter, it is clear that it represents the Second French Revolution of 1830 (not to be confused with The French Revolution of 1789). Looking at the name of the painting, it can be concluded that the woman represents liberty (further supported by the fact that her breasts are exposed, which can be understood as freedom), and she is guiding the French people towards it. She is holding a gun, meaning that liberty sometimes needs the help of force. But not only the force of guns, but also the help of people of the country. This is supported by the fact that men from different social status are seen gathered in a crowd, with their weapons on their hands, following liberty (the men-only crowd  also indicates that fighting was meant for men during that time, but this could be argued against by the presence of the woman (even though she represents liberty); but historically, it is known that women also participated in this revolution). The painting also communicates that liberty and the people won, representing this with the woman and the crowd stepping on debris and dead bodies of royal guards (this means that them monarchy is dead, defeated once again). Finally, Delacroix adds smoke and buildings at the back of the picture, helping the viewer to understand that there was a fight, a confrontation in the city, and that the people of the country were victorious, bringing freedom to France.

The artist's attitude towards this is another important topic that needs to be discussed alongside his painting. Eugène Delacroix painted this the same year the Revolution happened, making it clear that he supported the idea of freedom for France. The way the painting is composed, it can be understood that Delacroix didn't like the royal guards that much, and of course, he didn't support the Monarchy. Delacroix includes the French flag in the painting, which could be understood as a way of patriotism and love for his country. The Revolution is portrayed in a positive way, in a victorious way, meaning that overall, Delacroix was in favor of it (again, further supported by the fact that he made the painting immediately after the Revolution took place). 

I believe the painting is very complex. It implicates a lot more than what the eye can see at first. The historical context of it is very rich and important for the understanding of it, but by looking at it, most of its meaning and purpose can be fully understood. I like the painting very much, it is beautiful, and it represents freedom in a very unique and understandable way. The aesthetic of the painting is really nice, the colors are well-balanced, the shadows and contrast are carefully aligned with the way in which all elements are distributed in the canvas, and the use of space uses one of the most important principles of design: the rule of thirds (making the main element to occupy only one third of the painting). Overall, I can say that the drawing is amazing, it is very well-thought, with a good message; and the technique that Delacroix shows is impressive, making it a true masterpiece worth of being in the place that it is right now: the Louvre Museum.