Liberty Leading the People Analysis
Painting Analysis
Ideas of freedom are represented in this painting (Liberty Leading the People, Eugene Delacroix) in many different ways. Freedom is represented very plainly in the title as Liberty means being free or being free from society. The woman wants her people to be free from the government and free from oppression. The image of the woman rising above the enemy in a powerful stance upon the body of her people represents freedom and liberty because she is fighting for what she wants and what she believes in despite the threat against her and her life.
The protagonists of the painting are a woman and a child, stereotypically women and children are seen to be weaker than men and unable to stand up and fight for what they believe in but this painting is using that idea to show the true power of the longing to be free. France is also represented in this painting through the woman holding up the French flag and the tricolor making up the sky above Notre Dame. Known as a country that has revolted, known mainly to a younger audience due to the musical Les Miserables, France is a particularly powerful representation of Liberty and Freedom. Colour and Salience have been used by the artist to first draw our eye to the woman, dressed in yellow a colour that symbolizes anger, happiness and illness; these can lead different people to draw different meaning from the painting. The stance of the woman is yet another symbolism of freedom, she stands tall and open not hiding anything or holding back.
Raising the flag above her head it almost looks like an act of defiance but could also be seen as an attempt to show the people that they are all from the same country, they should not be fighting. Overall this painting, using symbolism, language, salience and historical meaning, demonstrates the ideas of Freedom in a very strong and prominent fashion.
