A Painting Too Dangerous

The French state bought Liberty Leading the People soon after the July Revolution of 1830, then grew nervous about it. Its raw power to stir revolt made later governments wary, so for stretches of the nineteenth century the canvas was kept out of public view rather than hung in the galleries. Only later did it take its place as a national treasure in the Louvre.

Color was only half of it. Delacroix also built drama through light and shadow, pushing deep darks against sudden brightness so figures seem to surge out of the smoke. He composed in restless diagonals rather than calm horizontals, which is why the crowd in Liberty Leading the People feels like it is moving toward you.