Critical Analysis of “The Death of Socrates”

 

The Death of Socrates (1787) – Jacques-Louis David

In this painting, I first noticed the horizontal line of light in upper right. This line draws the viewer’s eyes across the painting, which allows one to see all of the anguish of Socrates’ followers and supporters. That being said, a clear emotion of anguish and disbelief in the painting, revealed through the facial expressions of the men, as well as, the contrast of light and dark color. If someone were to look at this painting without any context, they would probably comprehend that this painting is capturing a significant event that will change the lives of the men present. 

Since Socrates is so much lighter than the rest of the men in the painting, the viewer’s eyes are draws the attention to him. Also, the man second in on the right, has an expression that really caught my eye. However, I only noticed the man because of the way that the light is shinning on Socrates. Oppositely, the left side of the painting has an ominous feeling. I am not sure if this is because I know what is occurring in the photograph, or if it is because the men and the jail have darker shades of color. It is almost like foreshadowing what is going to happen. 

The last aspect of the painting that I want to focus on is the line. Since this painting was done long before the extreme abstract phase, the lines are very sharp and clear. I would say that there is a combination of geometric and organic shapes in this painting, which create necessary tension to convey the emotion of the painting. However, there are no harsh lines that stand out to me. 

I think that Jacques-Louis David did an exceptional job conveying the emotion, anguish and torture, in this painting. However, my critique of the painting is that some of the bright colors on the men surrounding Socrates take away from the focal point. Some may disagree with me; however, I think if Jacques-Louis David had created darker shadows closer to Socrates the tension would have been greater. Thus, creating a stronger emotion of the activities of the painting.