Why it matters
Liberty Leading the People commemorates the July Revolution of 1830, not the Revolution of 1789 as is often assumed. Delacroix made Liberty both an allegorical goddess and a robust woman of the people, striding barefoot over the fallen with the tricolour held high: a figure that has become a symbol of France itself.
Did you know?
- Delacroix wrote to his brother: 'if I haven't fought for my country at least I'll paint for her.'
- Liberty wears a Phrygian cap, a symbol of freedom since the French Revolution.
- It was first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1831.
Based on the Wikipedia article Liberty Leading the People (CC BY-SA 4.0).
