David's the Death of Socrates and Baxandall The period eye Essay

David's the Death of Socrates and Baxandall The period eye - Essay Example The essay "David's the Death of Socrates and Baxandall The period eye" discovers David's painting called The Death of Socrates and the article of Baxandall called The period eye. In the middle of a group there is a man emotionally telling something to them. His right arm is raised in an argumentative gesture. His left arm is leisurely reaching for a golden cup, held by a young man in red. What is happening in the picture? Is this man telling them about the death of Socrates, which makes them mourn so much? Or is it Socrates himself? Then why is he still alive? People acquainted with Socrates’ story understand that the scene takes place in a prison and that Socrates, sentenced to death, is to drink a cup of hemlock. The philosopher is sitting on the couch in the middle of the canvass surrounded by his friends and disciplines, all of them crying and grieving. Loyal to his ideas of the immortality of human soul, Socrates has decisively and calmly chosen death. He continues teachi ng his disciplines till his last breath. At the moment he is pronouncing his final words, reaching for a cup without looking at it, as if death is a casual and trivial event in his life. This interpretation can be done only by people, who have heard of Socrates story. However, there are still many questions to be answered. Why did the painter choose this plot for his work? What was his message? Why did he depict the scene in exactly this way? There is only one thing we may say for sure: the picture must have expressed.