Liberty Leading the People, 325 x 260 cm, painted in 1830, oil on canvas, held at the Louvre Museum. Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) was the most representative painter of French Romanticism in the 19th century; he affirmed large-scale painting forms early on. From 1828 onward, he completely abandoned Neoclassical traditions, expressing portraits and historical scenes through realistic and emotional colors within modern and exotic themes. His works are pervaded by shadows of violence, pleasure, passion, and tragic death.

This grand work, fighting for liberty and democracy, draws inspiration from the Parisian uprising of July 27, 28, and 29, 1830, against the Bourbon Restoration. Though quickly suppressed, it eventually led to the reign of Louis Philippe, France’s last king. The spirit of liberty is embodied in the allegorical figure leading the people. In this new era, artists no longer remained silent or hesitant but actively participated in social struggles, ceasing to be mere mouthpieces for regimes. Delacroix, driven by a revolutionary spirit, fully immersed himself in concrete creation. Through strong, fluid colors—specifically using the French flag’s red, white, and blue—he depicted heroic warriors fighting for freedom.

In the stable pyramidal composition, the tall Liberty holds a sacred flag, followed by passionate workers and students charging through smoke over corpses, while even a young boy vigorously waves a pistol. The spirited young student on the left, wearing a top hat and holding a musket, is Delacroix himself, proving his role as a revolutionary participant in the 1830 uprising. These vibrant warriors contrast sharply with the lifeless bodies lying horizontally and vertically, creating a dynamic tension between static and active elements.

Comparing this work to Géricault’s dramatic The Raft of the Medusa, we see that Liberty Leading the People has a steady, upright rhythm culminating in Liberty rushing toward the viewer, whereas The Raft of the Medusa features a diagonal rhythm peaking with the black man waving flags away from the viewer. Both explore human social conditions and political consciousness. Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People became a symbol of the fight for freedom, famously printed on the former 100-franc banknote, making it familiar to many.