The painting above is called
"Death of Caesar” Jean-Léon Gérôme (1867) and was inspired by the 19th
century art fad based upon ancient Greece and Roman events. The painting
depicts the aftermath of the assassination of Caesar on the Ides of March
in the Theatre of Pompey. One can see in the Painting that Caesar is lying dead
upon the floor, while a group of conspirators are seen walking away out the
door holding their daggers and swords in the air triumphantly. Like Gérôme’s other
paintings in the 19th century fashion, the painting is bold and highly
exaggerated while still staying historically relevant.
To the people of
America, this painting could represent the overthrowing of a monarchy. For
example, when the United States finally broke off from the rule of England’s
over-bearing monarchy. This relates back to the assassination because the
people of Rome were becoming afraid that Caesar’s dictatorship was becoming
more like a monarchy and they were proud of the fact that Rome was considered a
republic.
Great picture. For some reason, though, the color of your text changes from white to gray after a few words. I wonder why that is.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that Gerome painted this "republican" picture in 1867, 15 years into Napoleon III's reign as French emperor. Did he mean it as a warning to Napoleon? That would seem strange since Napoleon had abolished censorship in 1862, ended many repressive measures, and allowed exiled opponents to return to France.
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