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The painting features three distinct figures positioned in front of an archway. In the center of the painting, Atala appears dressed in a white burial shroud with her head facing the viewer. She holds a crucifix and has her hands in a prayer-like gesture. To her right stands a man in a robe, representing the character Father Aubry in the novel. Father Aubry, an old priest, delivered the last rites as Atala passed away in Chactas's arms. He stands inside the grave and is lifting the upper half of Atala's body as if preparing to lower her into the grave. The unclothed young man to the left of Atala is Chactas, who is clutching tightly onto Atala’s legs at the edge.In the background of the painting, there is a forest and a cross in the distance, set against the light of dawn. The shovel in the foreground alludes to the digging of the grave. Furthermore, inscribed on the wall of the cave are words quoted from the Book of Job in French, translating to “I have faded like a flower. I have withered like the grass in the fields.”In this painting, the composition confines viewers within the walls of the cave. David’s influence on Girodet is shown through incorporating the Neoclassical tendency to focus on the instantaneity of the moment that is seemingly frozen in time. However, Girodet also distances himself from the Neoclassical tradition, adding elements of Romanticism. The figures express the sensation of grief distinctly, highlighting Girodet's emphasis on individuality. The light on Atala further stresses the sensuality of the moment, adding a poetic and erotic tone. Girodet accentuates similar Romantic elements of originality, individuality, and imagination across many of his works, including the Sleep of Endymion and the Ossian Receiving the Spirits of the French Heroes.
Romantic Neoclassical Book of Job Atala Romanticism