The French Revolution and Art in the 1700s

Art in the late 18th Century began to change as a result of the economic and political troubles in Europe brought about by the French Revolution (1789-1799). Before the storming of the Bastille, the Reign of Terror, and the coming of Napoleon Bonaparte, the visual and musical genres prevalent in Western Europe were influenced heavily by the Rococo style of the period. The works of Louise Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun followed the Rococo styles, especially her paintings of Marie Antoinette. During and after the French Revolution, the artist Jacques-Louis David, used his works to portray his revolutionary ideals with his depictions of political martyrs. The Revolution had an impact on other countries as well, which in part influenced Beethoven's opera Fidelio. The French Revolution's impact on art created a new era departing from the Classical and Baroque periods containing the aristocratic influences and non-secular themes prevalent during these times.

Prise du palais des Tuileries by Jacques Duplessis-Bertaux, 1793

The French Revolution

There is much debate on what caused the French Revolution, however, the one main factor impacting the onset of the Revolution was the deep debt of the nation and the public's view of the aristocracy and the monarchy. The French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War created a financial hardship for France, and the economy took a severe hit with multiple bad harvests. The French people were starving and spiraling into severe poverty while the aristocracy and the monarchs watched. An uprising began, as cries for reform and equality sprang up from the populace. Refusing to be ignored, the revolutionaries incited fighting and resistance against those loyal to the crown and against the royalty. What followed was the storming of the Bastille, abolishing slavery and feudalism, the Declaration for the Rights of Man, the First Constitution, the women's march on Versailles, the executions of King Louis XVI and his wife Queen Marie Antoinette, and the Reign of Terror.

Art's involvement in the rebellious atmosphere of France

Self Portrait of Louise Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun

Louise Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun was the royal painter to Marie Antoinette before the start of the Revolution. Her styles were typical of the Rococo period, though she did utilize some Neoclassic skills with the use of harder lines and period dress. The Rococo movement was similar to that of the Baroque, but it depicted a playful and lightness to its schemes. Sometimes showing sensual images which bordered on the sexually explicit, Rococo was still ornate and opulent, but with a more elegant approach to that of the Baroque. When compared to the society at the time of this period,"the delicacy and playfulness of Rococo designs is often seen as in tune with the excesses of Louis XV's reign," and was carried on down through the generations (Rococo wikipedia).

Marie Antoinette and her children by Louise Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1787 

The fact that Le Brun continued to use this style, which was being compared to the over indulgences of the monarchy, and her numerous paintings of the Queen, 30 in total, did not help the image of the monarch she was trying to depict to the public. Le Brun experienced first-hand the attitude and character of Marie Antoinette, and she wished to show the French people the side of the Queen they did not get to see. She painted Marie Antoinette and her children to portray the maternal instincts of the Queen, as shown in the image above, surrounded by her children in a simple, yet appropriate dress suitable for her status, but not overly elaborate. She did not succeed in her efforts, for she was forced to flee out of the country because of her close relationship to the Queen, who was executed after her husband in 1793.

  The Depiction of the Revolution through Art

Self-Portrait of Jacques Louis David,1794

Jacques-Louis David was considered one of the leading artists in French Revolutionary art and the Neoclassicism Movement. His history painting contrasted sharply to the lighthearted and frivolous style of Rococo, by showing serious and somber subject matter. However, his focus on Greek and Roman antiquities turned to Revolutionary propaganda as he enmeshed himself in the ideology of the Jacobin Club, a radical left-wing political party. He voted for the execution of the King, and signed the capture and death warrants to numerous aristocrats. Dr. Beth Harris states he was the, "minister of propaganda, spreading ideals of the revolution through images." (Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Marat, khanacademy). One of these ideals was concerning the depiction of christian martyrs. The Revolutionary government requested David to paint three distinct images, to show the public the self-sacrifice being made for their equal rights and for the liberty of France.

The Death of Marat, 1793

The Death of Joseph Bara, 1794

The Last Moments of Michel Peletier, 1793

David's paintings of Le Peletier, Bara, and Marat were done to focus on the self-sacrifice of these revolutionaries who were either assassinated by Royalists, or died fighting for the Revolutionary cause. No longer is the martyrdom of christian figures a feature of Classical Art as the depictions of political martyrs steered the new Republic of France way from the Ancien Régime of the corrupt monarchy to the beginning of public government (Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Marat). This would not last, however, as the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte and his new Empire would push France back into monarchy rule.

The Aftermath of the Revolution to Art

The French Revolution would have a profound impact on the art form of opera. Out of the French genre of the Opéra-Comique came the Rescue Opera. Materializing during the Revolution, the Rescue Opera highlighted not only "the heroic rescue of an individual from mortal danger. They also portray a rescuer so heroic that he or she willingly risks everything in the cause, with an outcome that signals the inevitable triumph of human will and freedom over injustice and tyranny" (A Rescue for the Ages: Beethoven's 'Fidelio', carolinalive.org). This form of opera also was considered more serious than the comedies of the Baroque period, coinciding with the shift to the Neoclassicim style from Rococo. No wonder this form of opera became popular in France, and it quickly spread to the outlying countries of Austria and Germany.

Ludwig von Beethoven Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820

Fidelio by Ludwig von Beethoven, a popular composer of Classical music, is one of the more famous and well-known operas in the Rescue Opera genre. The story portrays Leonore, a woman who disguises herself as a prison guard named Fidelio in order to rescue her husband, Florestan, who is incarcerated in a political prison.  The character of Leonore and the underlying theme of self-sacrifice, heroism, and liberating the unjustly imprisoned highlights the sentiments of the Revolution. The ending of the opera, with the minister coming to the rescue of Florestan and Leonore and the rest of the political prisoners, symbolizes their need for a savior. This symbolic ending coincides with the supposed savior France found in Napoleon, who readily took up the reigns of the Revolution and began to shape the country into an ideal Republic.

Fidelio by Ludwig von Beethoven, performed by Orchestra of the Opernhaus Zurich and the Chorus of the Oper Zurich, 2004

Works Cited

"A Rescue for the Ages: Beethoven's 'Fidelio'." carolinalive.org. WDAV and Davidson College, 2010. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.  http://www.carolinalive.org/component/k2/item/2382-a-rescue-for-the-ages-beethovens-fidelio?pg=intro
Beethoven, Ludwig von. "Fidelio, as performed by Orchestra of the Opernhaus Zurich and the Chorus of the Oper Zurich." youtube. Youtube, 5 Aug. 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcYodDn5Q-o
 Drs. Beth Harris and Steven Zucker. "Jacques Louise David: The Death of Marat." khanacademy.org. Khan Academy, 8 May 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/neo-classicism/v/david-marat
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