Astounding 1787 "The Death of Socrates" by French painter Jacques-louis David at The Met

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art or The Met has shown me two wonderful things when I visited it. I was able to see a real mummy, sphinx and statue of pharoah Mentuhotep and this 1787 oil painting on canvas by Jacques-Louis David. 

Just before making this blog, I checked the wikipedia entry on this one to see if my own appreciation adds up to it, only to find out that I got my own understanding of the painting. 

Wiki says, " The Death of Socrates (French: La Mort de Socrate) is an oil on canvas painted by French painter Jacques-Louis David in 1787. The painting was part of the neoclassical style, popular in the 1780s, that depicted subjects from the Classical age, in this case the story of the execution of Socrates as told by Plato in his Phaedo.[1] In this story, Socrates has been convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens and introducing strange gods, and has been sentenced to die by drinking poison hemlock. Socrates uses his death as a final lesson for his pupils rather than fleeing when the opportunity arises, and faces it calmly. The Phaedo depicts the death of Socrates and is also Plato's fourth and last dialogue to detail the philosopher's final days, which is also detailed in Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito."


For me, this is an extraordinary depiction of Socrates' death as told by Plato in Phaedo. I have not read Phaedo but when I saw this painting, I was struck. It gives life to a legendary story of Socrates' death because of his knowledge, morals and beliefs.


This is the right side of the painting when one is facing it. I can see the wailing of a student on the wall and the faces of disbelief and torment on others. Wiki mentioned that the man grasping the thigh of Socrates might be the painter David as he placed his signature on him. It symbolizes that he still believes in what Socrates died for. 

On this side, there are six students and I likened the depiction of Socrates as that of Jesus Christ given the white clothing and light color which say peaceful acceptance. He discourses Immortality of soul to his students, that is why he did not fear death. This is like Jesus' last supper.


On the left side, there are three students, one is giving the hemlock with utter grief, one is wailing on the wall, and the other wears white and on his back on Socrates. It is said that he is Plato as he has a P on his clothing and it depicted Plato in old age although chronologically, he was just a young man when Socrates was alive. I believe that this depiction of Plato represents wisdom of old age. He must be listening to Socrates, and his clothing of white symbolizes his mission to live the life of truth and knowledge just like Socrates. The face is calm, and his turning his back only represents that he has to face forward and not see his master nor his master's ideals die.


On the left side at the far back, three more students appear. One waves farewell and two walk on to walk away from witnessing the death of their master. It is said that the waving one is Socrates' wife but I think that's still a male figure and he is still one of the students. 

Thus, overall, I feel that Socrates is in the center of the table just like Jesus Christ and about to partake the hemlock, a figurative food for knowledge, morals and belief as well as truth, and passing figurative plates of understanding about immortality to his twelve disciples, feeding them the understanding that death is just another state of being apart from life, that death may not be being alive but it is just a different state of being.

Thank you, MET. 







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