The Death of Socrates free essay sample

The Death of Socrates† was painted by a French painter . His name was Jacques Louis David. The painting represents the scene of the death of Greek philosopher Socrates. He was condemned to die by drinking hemlock for the expression of his ideas against those of Athens and corrupting the minds of the youth. The painting also depicts both Plato and Crito, with the former sitting at the edge of the bed and the latter clutching the knee of Socrates. Socrates had the choice to go into exile and , hence, give up his philosophic vocation or be sentenced to death by drinking hemlock. Socrates chose death. In this painting, someone hands a confident Socrates the goblet of hemlock. Socrates hand pointing to the heavens indicating his defiance of the gods and fearless attitude to his death. hough he consulted Father Adry, a scholar on the subject, David’s depiction of Socrates death contains many historical inaccuracies. We will write a custom essay sample on The Death of Socrates or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For simplicity, he removed many characters, including the wife of Socrates. However, he included Apollodorus, the man leaning against the wall just within the arch, even though he is said to have been sent away by Socrates for displaying too much grief. David also misrepresented the ages of many of the pupils of Socrates, including Plato. Plato would have been a young man at the time of Socrates’s death, but in this painting he is the old man sitting at the foot of the bed. Even the face of Socrates is much more idealized than the classical bust that is typically used as a reference portrait of Socrates. [3] David uses color to highlight the emotion in this painting. The shades of red are more muted on the edges of the painting and become more vibrant in the center, culminating in the dark red robe of the man holding the cup of poison. The only two serene men, Socrates and Plato, are garbed in a contrasting bluish-white. The more muted color scheme of this painting may be a response to critics of David’s Oath of the Horatii, who called his colors â€Å"garish†. [3] David signed this painting in two places – his full signature under Crito, the young man clutching Socrates’s thigh, and his initials under Plato. David’s signature placement often had symbolic meaning – for example, in his painting of Count Potocki, David signed in the collar of the dog that is barking at the sitter. In Death of Socrates, his signatures also have meaning. His initials under Plato are a reference to the fact that the story comes from Plato, a thanks for the inspiration. His fuller signature under Crito means that this is the character whom the artist identifies most with. This may be a reference for Crito’s position in the composition – clutching Socrates’s thigh. In this way, David would be seen as a man who likewise clutches at the morals and values that Socrates represents. [2] There is some controversy as to the origins of the painting. Vidal states that â€Å"the younger of Trudaine de Montigny’s (fr) two sons commissioned David’s Death of Socrates in 1786,†[4] but Bordes says that â€Å"the drawing for Socrates†¦bears the unexpected date of 1782. † However, it is possible that the commission in 1786 was for a painting that David had already conceived as early as 1782, and Bordes does acknowledge that the date is an addition to the drawing. [5] Regardless of when it was originally conceived, the painting was completed in 1787, in Paris. It was during David’s first trip to Rome that he began to study the depiction of funerary scenes and to draw many examples. Many of David’s major works stem from these funerary drawings. [6] In this painting, David examines a philosopher’s approach to death. Socrates is stoic and calm because he sees death as a separate, actual realm, a different state of being from life but not an end to being. [7] In fact, in Phaedo, Socrates seems more concerned with how Crito will handle his death than with his own well-being. [8] In the painting, Socrates’s gesture shows us that he still teaching, even in the moment before his death. It is said that this gesture was inspired by the poet Andre Chenier . [9] Another painting depicting the event was done by the Italian artist Giambettino Cignaroli. Cignarolis work shows Socrates already dead, surrounded by his anguished followers. [10] The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Philip-Joseph de Saint-Quentin