"Leonid at Thermopylae" [1] ( fr. Léonidas aux Thermopyles ) is a painting by the French artist Jacques Louis David , written by him in 1814 .
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| Jacques Louis David | ||
| Leonid at Thermopylae . 1814 | ||
| Leonidas aux thermopyles | ||
| Canvas, oil. 395 × 531 cm | ||
| Louvre Museum , Paris | ||
| ( inv. ) | ||
The painting was acquired in 1819 and is currently located in the 75th hall on the 1st floor of the Denon Gallery in the Louvre. Code: INV. 3690.
The name "Leonid at Thermopylae" refers to the famous Battle of Thermopylae that occurred during the Greek-Persian war of 480–479. BC. Her idea came to the artist in 1799 or 1800, but he started work in 1812, giving priority to the then orders of Napoleon Bonaparte ; the painting was completed in October 1814 .
Originally intended for the amateur, Count Sommariva, the painted canvas remained in the artist's workshop. April 17, 1826 it was acquired by the Louvre during the first sales of works after the death of the author.
Background
There were 3 periods in the life of Jacques-Louis David: the first is devoted to neoclassical painting, often associated with antiquity. This work relates to the second period of his life, the period of the First Empire , when David hesitates between writing the "official" painting and historical, continuing work of his previous period. This picture does not belong to a certain series, but is similar to the plot of the “ Sabine women stopping the battle between the Romans and the Sabines ”. Louis XVIII acquired them all.
Description and historical background
In September 480 BC during the Greco-Persian war ( 480–479 BC ), the Persians, in an attempt to invade Greece, make the transition to the rocky gorge of Thermopylae . After two days of fighting, the Persians decide on a desperate step, when the traitor Efialt shows them a workaround to the rear of the Greeks. The leader of the Spartans, Leonid , dies with 300 Spartans, surrounded by enemies. They fought heroically against many times superior forces and fought to the last, thanks to which their compatriots were able to evacuate civilians and prepare for defense.
The central character of the picture is Tsar Leonid , naked and armed with a sword, a spear and with a large round shield, a bandage of armor and a helmet, crouched on a rocky fragment and with a bent left leg. On the right hand is his brother, Agis, with a wreath on his head worn during the sacrifice (refers to the ancient custom of sacrifice before the battle); and the blind hoplite Eurythus, guided by a slave of the Spartans, waves his spear. On the other side is a group of Spartans with two trumpeters over their heads. Soldiers squeeze weapons and shields or kiss women before they die. On the left in the picture, a soldier clings to a rock to engrave with the handle the phrase “those who go to Sparta will be told that we died according to its laws” (described by David, see Bonaparte au Grand-Saint-Bernard, “List of Conquerors”, and letters from Charlotte Corde in the painting “ Death of Marat .” The total number of characters in the picture is large. There is a reference to the “ Oath of Horatius ” in the image of three people with laurel wreaths in outstretched arms.
The decor combines natural elements (leaves, trees left and right, rocks) and people (an altar dedicated to Hercules, nominally superior to the rest of the main character in a central place), Persian ships in the background and a caravan of mules on the left, leaving the battlefield. The sky is dark above and brighter below.
"Leonid at Thermopylae" is an analogue of the painting " Sabinyanok ", the dimensions of the canvases are close, and depicting the famous battle, which has become legendary, with many Roman soldiers filling the foreground, and armed Romulus, who has such a helmet and a round shield on his head, like Leonid’s. Another common point in both works is the presentation not of the course of the duel, but of the scene when hostilities are suspended.
“Leonid at Thermopylae” does not show the battle itself, but preparation for it; David refused to depict the battle process; he strove for the original.
See also
- Oath of Horatius
- Sabine women stopping the battle between the Romans and the Sabines
Notes
- ↑ David / M.N. Tarasov // Grigoriev - Dynamics. - M .: Big Russian Encyclopedia, 2007. - P. 211. - ( Big Russian Encyclopedia : [in 35 vols.] / Ch. Ed. Yu. S. Osipov ; 2004—2017, vol. 8). - ISBN 978-5-85270-338-5 .
Links
- "Leonid at Thermopylae" in the database of the Louvre (fr.)