Leutze’s Quest For Freedom
... United States, but in Germany. In March of 1848 with the news of revolt in France it set off the revolution in Germany to overthrow the Austrian and Prussian monarchy and set up a democratic institution. The revolutionaries were somewhat successful and by March 1849, a national parliament completed a constitution. The constitution asked for an emperor and a two-house legislature. The parliament asked Frederick William the fifth of Prussia to be emperor but he refused because he opposed the revolution. Without his support the parliament broke up, and by 1851, the year of the painting, the old German confederation was re-established and the revolution was essentially a failure. Leutze might have been discouraged with the outcome because true democratic freedom was not achieved. Through painting this picture he could capture the American ideals of freedom, democracy, and liberty that George Washington and the American revolutionaries would soon achieve after crossing the Delaware. Leutze’s other works, particularly his painting “Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way” (1861), deals with the westward migration of American settlers and the doctrine Manifest Destiny. I believe this painting can compare to “George Washington Crossing the Delaware” because both are expressions of American freedom. These American pioneers heading westward had the liberty and freedom to civilize an untamed land, something Leutze might have been fascinated with considering he came from the cramped quarters of Europe. Emanuel Leutze used many elements to express a patriotic message, but in doing so created historical inaccuracies. To highlight the group standing in the center of the boat, he surrounded them by light mainly to focus our attention on George Washington and the American flag; everywhere else he uses mostly dark tones and shadows. The actual crossing took place in the darkness of night in order to surprise the enemy rather than at dawn like in Leutze’s painting. The flag is also a historical error because the flag in the painting had not been adopted yet. The flag should be that of the Continental Army and not the one adopted on June 14, 1777, six months after the crossing. Some of the difficulties I had with producing my art piece are that of p...