Whose painting is Liberty Leading the People?
Quick Answer
Liberty Leading the People was painted by the French Romantic artist Eugène Delacroix in 1830 to commemorate the July Revolution in Paris.
The Full Story
Eugène Delacroix painted the work in the autumn of 1830, only months after the July Revolution of 27–29 July 1830 toppled King Charles X. The canvas shows a bare-footed woman personifying Liberty, holding the French tricolour flag in one hand and a musket in the other as she leads people of different classes over a barricade. Delacroix did not fight in the uprising himself, but wrote to his brother that if he had not fought for his country, he would at least paint for her. The French state bought the painting in 1831, and it is now one of the best-known works in the Louvre in Paris. The allegorical figure of Liberty is closely linked with Marianne, the national symbol of France.
Key Facts
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Suggested video title for this topic:
"The painting that became the face of revolution — Delacroix's Liberty."