ess of deciding. If the young woman were to fall off the swing, she would fall in the arms of the young man. At another level, she would be falling into temptation, thus breaking her marriage vows and committing adultery. In David’s work, the placement of figures also helps explain what is taking place in the story. However, The Death of Socrates contrasts the process of deciding that is presented in Fragonard’s work because a decision is made. A logical decision is depicted in David’s work, according to the values imposed by Neo-Classicism. The Death of Socrates illustrates the moment that Socrates is sentenced to death by giving him a poison to drink. David includes Socrates’ students to emphasize what is going on in the work. The emotions on of the figures are emphasized by their attempt to hide these emotions. David strategically places Socrates and the figure that carries out the sentence at the center of the work. The most interesting aspect of the painting is the moment that Socrates’ sentence is carried out by the giving of the poison. If one looks at the figure closely, one notices that he is reluctant to carry out the decision he makes. The figure is presented in profile. The hand that is placed on his head is clearly weaker than the one handing Socrates the poison. This shows how one’s duty to the government is far more important than one’s own personal views or feelings. We can make the argument that there had to be a relationship between Socrates and this figure. By paying attention to elements such as subject matter, light, form, and placement of figures, we can see how these enhance the ideals depicted by each form of art. As a result, we can understand how Neo-Classical art is an attempt to counter the values of Rococo. Rococo is a form of art directly targeted to the privileged. Because not everyone in society belongs to the aristocracy, the Neo-Classicist wante...
