DAVID`S `DEATH OF SOCRATES` PAINTING

Table of Contents Page

Introduction 1

The Painting 1

The Painter as a Philosopher 2

The Subject 5

On Death 6

The Trial in the Eyes of his Contemporaries 8

The Artist 10

Looking through David 's Death of Socrates

A cock for Asclepius

That 's supposed to be Socrates ' last words upon his death . Ever thankful to the Greek god of health , he had drunk a hemlock brew which presumably guaranteed him a peaceful end . During a time when photography is still not

available , such historical event could just be possibly captured through a detailed painting that truly relied on facts about the events that transpired the death of a great philosopher

A French painter who became the leading proponent of Neoclassicism Jacques-Louis David painted the masterpiece The Death of Socrates (1787 , Metropolitan Museum . Inspired by classical influences from his stint in Rome and from the paintings of the 17th-century French classicist Poussin , David 's restrained style suitably matched the fiery ideals of the French Revolution . His remarkable paintings often depict historical events with subliminal themes : the Oath of the Horatii (1784-1785 , Louvre ) inspired patriotism among French and The Death of Socrates ' preached stoicism and self-sacrifice . Not only did David 's subject matter have its sources in ancient history and classical myth but the form of his figures was based on ancient sculpture . That 's why David 's work is often touted to be historical paintings

The Painting

Using oil on canvas (51 " x 77 1 /4 , David 's Death of Socrates depicts the concluding moments of the life of the greatest philosopher who ever lived . Condemned to death or exile by the Athenian government for his teaching methods which aroused skepticism and impiety in his students , Socrates rejected the idea of exile and accepted death from hemlock . Surrounded by Crito and his grieving friends and students , the painting 's location is a prison cell . Socrates is ready to drink the poison hemlock offered to him by one of his disciples in a cup . The philosopher 's face reflects a great serenity , which highly contrasts with his disciple 's attitudes before the unjust death of their master The wife of Socrates can be seen grieving alone outside the chamber dismissed for her weakness . Socrates ' most famous student , Plato , is also featured here as the old man seated at the end of the bed , although he was not present in the event . The painting is starkly dark and the intense grief and remorse of Socrates ' students over the injustice done to their teacher consume the whole picture

When David finished this masterpiece , the scene could only call up memories of abandoned attempt at reform in France , the dissolution of the Assembly of Notables in 1787 , and the large number of political prisoners in the king 's jails or in exile . David certainly intended this scene to serve as a wake up call . The subject is loosely based on Plato 's Phaedo , but in painting it David consulted a variety of...