Liberty Leading the People

Eugène Delacroix

Oil on canvas

Musée du Louvre

This iconic Romantic masterpiece depicts a powerful allegorical figure of Liberty—a bare-breasted woman holding the French tricolore flag—leading a diverse group of revolutionaries over a barricade during the July Revolution of 1830. Eugène Delacroix, the acknowledged leader of the French Romantic movement, painted this emotionally charged work in just three months, combining classical allegory with raw contemporary realism in his signature expressive brushwork. The painting captures the dramatic three-day uprising that overthrew King Charles X and became an enduring symbol of the French spirit and the universal struggle for freedom. Displayed at the Louvre, this monumental canvas continues to inspire viewers with its passionate celebration of liberty and the power of the people united in revolt.