Title: The Oath of the Horatti.
Artist: Jacques-Louis David.
Medium: Oil Painting.
Dimensions: 3.3 x 4.2m.
Location: The Louvre, Paris.
Credit: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav_oath.html.
“The Oath of the Horattii” is heralded as the banner masterpiece of the Neo-Classical movement, and indeed no work from its time-period is more worthy of that accolade. Jacques-Louis David’s epic, inspired by Roman mythology, continues to impress audiences today with the geometric rigor of its design and the austere weightiness of its subject matter.
The tale which the painting describes is that of the Horattii brothers, who were tasked in the 7th century B.C. with defending the city of Rome against the invading Alba Longan army, led by Lars Porsenna. In the background Sabina, wife of the oldest Horattii, and Camilla, sister to the Horattii brothers, mourn the carnage that is about to ensue.
This trio will battle the three Curiattii brothers on the Pons Subilicius, which spans the Tiber River, in order to settle the battle and evade the greater bloodshed a confrontation between their two respective armies would imply. Ultimately, Publius Horatius Cocles, leader of the Horattii, triumphs, though he himself loses an eye in the contest, and his two brothers fall in the act of slaying the three Curiattii.
This ancient Roman tale expresses the ideal of duty, which was thought to be an all important dimension of justice not only in ancient mythology, but in the Classical Republican Tradition as well. Proper fulfillment of one’s duties and obligations towards the gods, the state, and one’s family, (in that order), was of paramount importance not only for the individual, but for the overall health of the polis. The following poem stands as a tribute to this legend. (1.)
Lex Aeterna
by Joshua Carback
Behold, a great darkness has fallen
Treading across the water
A mighty tempest surges forth
Its icy breath blots out the sun
Its blinding flashes tear down the sky
The ground shakes with the sound of its madness
Who will resist this force of nature?
From whence can such fury come?
Our first fathers cast down their weary glances
Commanding us to act
Enemies are at the gate
Now appoint a hero to defend it
Our wives cry out in mourning:
‘Spare this city from destruction’
And now I see before me
A great tower of stone along the shore line
It is Horatius, who puts forth like a lion
A crack of thunder announces:
His challenge for battle has been accepted
Porsenna roars, beginning his assault
To crush this pillar of defiance
The struggle rages
Pounding endlessly throughout the night
Swells inflame the Beacon’s base
The hail plucks at his strength
Cut off from the land
He cannot call for aid
Who can help him?
Can the mountains move?
And defend their coastal kin
No…he stands alone
Yet see how he weathers the storm!
The battlements hold
The foaming currents he cleaves in half
Their wounds scream aloud in anguish
Even the sun has fallen in retreat
Its red eye slipping out of sight
Too awful was the evil for its pure light
Blood has been spilt
Its putrid stench moves the earth
Beloved brothers have been lost
Heroes fall in piles
Great and noble Cocles
By your wounds become a monster
Only then shall monsters fear you!
Out of strife and chaos rise
So shall you preserve order for posterity
Oh’ Ancient Guardian
Father to us all
Citations:
(1.) The Louvre Museum, “The Oath of the Horattii.” Accessed April 15, 2013. http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/oath-horatii.
Meeting Myths 