Eugène Delacroix, 1830 – Louvre Museum, Paris

Oil on canvas 260 × 325 cm (102.4 × 128.0 in)

Though painted after the French Revolution, this work builds directly on its legacy. Delacroix created it during the July Revolution of 1830, but the values and imagery echo the original 1789 uprising. Liberty, bare-breasted and armed, leads workers and students over the dead. She recalls Marianne, the female symbol of the French Republic, born during the Revolution. Delacroix admired revolutionary ideals, even if he didn’t take part directly. His painting helped renew revolutionary spirit in a later generation, reminding viewers of the continuing fight for freedom. In this way, it links 1789 to ongoing struggles for justice and reform in France.

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