Sappho et Leucate (1801)

Antoine Jean Gros (1771-1835) has combined the structure learnt under his teacher, Jacques-Louis David, with the emotion and drama introduced by Romanticism, to depict the myth of Sappho and her fate. The Ancient Greek poet, according to legend, threw herself from the cliffs of Leucate out of despair due to her unrequited love for the mythological Phaon. Gros’s tragic painting has become a leading example of the transition from Neoclassicism to Romanticism. Sappho stands on the edge of the cliff adorning a translucent veil holding her lyre. The fragility of the veil could represent her tenuous connection to the human world; the veil acting as the bridge between the living and the afterlife. Gros has included her lyre to remind the viewer of what she symbolises: love and art. The burning altar in the background implies her act as a form of sacrifice and that her fate is already sealed, already determined by forces beyond mortal reason. It suggests that she is powerless, compelled to follow the will of the gods, leaving her without control over her own outcome. She is romantically illuminated by rays of moonlight which reflect across the engulfing sea below her. Gros has used chiaroscuro to isolate Sappho, creating a dramatic contrast between her pale yet warm human figure and the dominant deep blue tones of the cool moonlight, surrounding her in cold darkness. The sea below her symbolises the unknown and the sublime, posing Sappho balancing on the cliff, balancing between life and death. Furthermore, the nocturnal spotlight created by the moon adds to this charged narrative of melancholy, passion and theatricality, adding to ethereal quality of the poet. Gros has constructed an overwhelming portrait, filled with raw emotion and psychological drama. It is an early example of Romanticism as art broke away from classical restraint and traditions towards heightened emotional intensity.