Abolition de l'esclavage

Contraste de vetements eclaves + pauvre riche

General sur estrade hauteur par rapport esclaves

Tous heureux esclaves

Milieu 2 s enlacent + chaines ouvertes signifie liberté

Mer atmosphere tropical donc en afrique

This document is a painting from the French painter François-Auguste Biard made in 1848.

This canvas is called “L’abolition de l’esclavage dans les colonies françaises en 1848 » which shows 2 type of people: the whites and the blacks.

The whites wear good quality clothes compared to the blacks.

There are also 2 groups of whites: on the left, the marines who take the French flag, they are situated behind the commander on a stage who is greeting the blacks. And on the right, it seems to be inhabitant from France, they are maybe here to see and help blacks slaves. They wear stripped clothes white shirt, pants, hats for the men and white dress for women.

While the blacks wear handmade clothes and are almost naked.

The landscape is composed on the background of the sea. There is also on the left palm trees and the floor seems dry. So, the atmosphere is kind of hot and equatorial. We can say that the French people came to Africa to helps slaves.

This paint shows the contrast between whites and blacks life conditions, one side whites look rich well-being and in the other side blacks look dehumanized.

There is a link between the title of this paint and the arrival of the French in Africa. The commander on the left is holding a paper in his right hand, we may say that he came here to announce the abolition of slavery.

It’s why 2 slaves in the middle of the painting look lively, joyous. The broken chains that hold the slave show the liberty they have acquired whereas the other slaves are kneeling in adoration in front of the man who declared the abolition of their slavery.

For me, I think that painting is really amazing because it shows the deliverance of pain from the blacks slaves, they have suffered all their life and this masterpiece shows the liberty they have gained but also the starting of their new life.

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