The Deaths of Socrates Curation

 The figure of Socrates stands out in history because of what he represents. He is a classical ideal of civil obedience as well as self-sacrifice. This ideal is directly focused in his death scene that has made him an icon in the world of art. The Neo-Classical painter, Jacques Louis David’s painting of The Death of Socrates is one of the most famous depictions of the scene. However he is not the only one to have painted this scene. Within a century there were multiple paintings of the scene of Socrates’ death. All these paintings seem to include similar features and choose to show the moment right before his death. This collection will present a grouping of paintings by several artists, from 1650-1788 A.D. all entitled The Death of Socrates. Through these works of art we will see the different interpretations and depictions of the Socrates’ Death. How do these pictures compare to one another? How are they different? The story is the same for each of these paintings, but who tells it the best? This project proposes that there is common compositional thread that surrounds the death of Socrates and it can be clearly seen in depictions from these five paintings.

                                 

Jacques Louis David, The Death of Socrates, 

1787, oil on canvas, 51 x 77 1/4 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

The painting by David gives a dynamic quality to the figure of Socrates. He reaches for the cup while holding his other hand up, pointing his finger to the ceiling, his face calm and stately in the face of death. The people around him are full of grief as this man they respect reaches out to grab hold of death. The scene takes place in the cellar of a dungeon. While David is the most famous for this scene he uses very similar concepts to display his scene as the other artists. The dungeon with barred windows, the chalice, the chain, the use of primary colors, and the grieving characters are all components that remain consistent among the artists.

Jacques-Philip-Joseph de Saint-Quentin, The Death of Socrates, 

1762, Oil on canvas, 140 x 115 cm, École des Beaux-Arts, Paris.

In Saint-Quentin’s piece on Socrates’ death the scene depicts the moment just after taking the cup. The figures around him cry out and clutch their hands together as if in prayer. Even in death the stoic figure of Socrates remains calm as he clutches his chest he places an outstretched hand on his grieving follower. Once again the scene is in a dungeon with a barred window, the manacle is laid at his feet, and the chalice has been cast to the floor. The use of primary colors continues to be prominent in this work as well.

Charles-Alphonse Dufresnoy, The Death of Socrates, circa. 

1650, oil on canvas (48.03 x 61.02 in., Galleria degli Uffizi, Italy, Florence.

This is the earliest piece in the collection and very well may be the source of the similar composition that runs through all these scenes. In Dufresnoys’ depiction of Socrates he is calmly holding the chalice to his lips, while his followers grieve around him. The figures are all wearing robes in hues of red, blue, green, yellow etc. Upon the cellar dungeon floor is a manacle and deep in the background is a barred window.

Jean-François-Pierre Peyron, The Death of Socrates, 

1786 or 1787, oil on canvas, Statens Museum for Kunst.

In this first of the two paintings of The Death of Socrates that he creates, Peyron creates a very similar scene to that of his rival David’s painting. The characteristic similarities are obvious from the coloring of the characters clothes, to the face and actions of Socrates. The scene is much the same as well; the figures grieve in a dungeon with barred windows, a manacle lies on the floor and Socrates reaches from his bed to take the chalice from the guard.

Jean-François-Pierre Peyron, The Death of Socrates, 

1788, oil on canvas, 39 x 53 ½ in.; 99.06 x 135.9 cm, Museum Purchase with additional funds from The Robert H. and Mildred T. Storz Trust; E. James and No, 1999.55

In the second of his paintings Peyron takes a similar approach as before but alters it in some ways. The figure of Socrates is more naturalistic and the robes coloring is more vibrant calling attention to the central figure in the composition. He is now holding the chalice as the servant walks away. The components are still the same though. Surrounding him as he sits on the bed pointing upward is his group of grieving followers. In the background of the dungeon is a barred window and hanging on the door are the manacles.