On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
The Triumph of the French People
Jacques Louis David French
Not on view
David here adopts the classical form of the triumphal procession, an elaborate ritual first organized for victorious generals in the ancient Roman Republic. His depiction celebrates the bravery of the French people who rose up to overthrow the monarchy. In a hybrid assembly, a chariot bearing allegorical figures is joined by historical characters and a band of contemporary martyrs, all displaying their wounds in dramatic gestures.
By juxtaposing the ancient Roman consul Brutus, brandishing the paper that condemns his traitorous sons to death, with the Revolutionary hero Jean Paul Marat, kneeling and baring his chest, David is fusing not only two historical periods, but two aspects of his own career: the history painter and the artist of the Revolution.
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