Death_Of_Socrates

Death Of Socrates In contemporary with the Age of Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason in France, neoclassical painters used famous works of literature as a source of inspiration for their paintings. The Death Of Socrates (1787; Oil on canvas, 129.5 x 196.2 cm or 51 x 77 1/4 in) by Jacques Louis David, is a perfect example of a neoclassical painter using a famous work of literarue, in this case Plato’s Phaedo, as his source of inspiration. Plato’s marvelous work, however, was not completely captured in David’s this painting, instead David looking through “Roman lenses” chose to focus more on the famous philosopher’s immortality. In the painting The Death of Socrates, the painter Jacques Louis David, takes a scene from Plato’s Phaedo and paints it from a Roman perspective. For example the setting of the scene takes place in a chamber that has Roman arches on the windows and an arch in the hallway. In addition there is also a Roman style lamp found behind Socrates. Other than the Roman perspective portrayed by David there is also a distribution of light and dark accents in this masterwork that aids in distinguishing the significance and “divinity” socrates, death, painting, david, roman, painted, light, scene, plato’s, david’s, source, phaedo, god, addition, work, neoclassical, however, famous, because, without, windows, way, viewer, through, teaching, takes, students, socrates’, seen, removed, portrayed, perspective, perfect, painter, man, louis, lighting, last, lamp, jacques, inspiration, immortality, himself, hemlock, godliness, freedom, face, example, even, disciples