why was the painting of The Death of Socrates painted?

Question

what was Jacques-Louis David reason for painting it in 1787. what events were going on at the time that made him paint this scene.

Answer 1

Neoclassical paintings like this were in part a response to new archaeological explorations in the 18th century and in part to new Enlightenment values that admired certain stories of the classical past as reflective of human virtues: courage, stoicism, self-discipline, disinterested (unselfish) patriotism and charity, and no forth.



At this time, France was moving towards the events of the Revolution, so such paintings fired the imaginations of revolutionaries; they ultimately had a certain propaganda value, though the "Death of Socrates" didn't start out as a specifically revolutionary painting.



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