The Death of Socrates
This oil on canvas painting shows the martyrdom of the great Athenian philosopher Socrates. Condemned as a heretic for corrupting the youth of the city with his teachings, Socrates was sentenced to die by drinking hemlock. Here he sits in his final lecture to his students. The topic of the lecture pertained to the Immortality of the Soul, appropriate for the great teacher about to die. David portrays Socrates as an elderly man with the physic of a man many years his junior, unwavering in his lesson, as his students weep around him. He holds the cup of poison in his hand but seems to not acknowledge it, as if he is ignoring death itself.
This painting is an homage to a man with an unmovable spirit and belief in personal enlightenment for all who seek it. In the years leading up to the French Revolution, a man with the resolve of Socrates would have been hard too find. The Death of Socrates is a clear allusion to the ongoing Enlightenment that was revolutionizing the country and people of France in the late 18th century. David here appears to seek men who would stand up and die for a belief in a better world.
Interesting Notes:
The tunics in the center of the painting form the French flag.
Plato, Socrates' most famous student, is seen at the foot of the bed, mourning his mentor.
Socrates is pointing up as if motioning to the heavens he is speaking of in his final lecture.
This painting is an homage to a man with an unmovable spirit and belief in personal enlightenment for all who seek it. In the years leading up to the French Revolution, a man with the resolve of Socrates would have been hard too find. The Death of Socrates is a clear allusion to the ongoing Enlightenment that was revolutionizing the country and people of France in the late 18th century. David here appears to seek men who would stand up and die for a belief in a better world.
Interesting Notes:
The tunics in the center of the painting form the French flag.
Plato, Socrates' most famous student, is seen at the foot of the bed, mourning his mentor.
Socrates is pointing up as if motioning to the heavens he is speaking of in his final lecture.
Socrates nonchalantly reaching for the poison.
