Compare and contrast the characteristics of Neoclassicism and Romanticism. Use Jacques-Louis David's Oath of the Horatii and Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People as examples.

What will be an ideal response?

The ideal answer should include:
1. David's Oath of the Horatii corresponds to the Neoclassical style in its idealized figures and balanced composition derived from classical pyramidal groupings and repeating arches in the background.
2. Its moral message-valuing patriotic duty above personal interests and family obligations-also conforms to the typical Neoclassical themes of patriotism and moral incorruptibility.
3. Romanticism, however, is characterized by loose, fluid brushwork, strong colors, dramatic contrasts of light and dark, complex compositions, and expressive poses and gestures and aimed to inspire strong feelings in viewers.
4. Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People exemplifies Romanticism by re-imagining the emotional climate of the July 1830 revolt through the allegorical figure of Liberty leading revolutionaries-a motley crew of students, laborers, children, and top-hatted lawyers-into the heat of battle.