delacroix was not a political radical. he was a famous artist at this moment. he understood it was the occasion to paint a great picture, and he painted a very great picture. it's, of course, a political picture. it is also a history picture. by history, i mean it's an allegory-- an allegory of freedom-- and the lady in the middle of the picture represents freedom and liberty. she has in her hand the french flag, and she is dominating the picture, where you see a lot of people-- dead soldiers, workers, an intellectual wearing a hat. [sounds of rioting] all these figures are taken in everyday life. [gun@hots] the figure of liberty herself is wearing a slipped dress, barefooted like a greek goddess. this woman of the people is no longer simply cast in antique language, as were the sabine women. she is an ardent, vital, bare-breasted vision, brandishing a flintlock and waving her country's new flag. a woman of the people wearing the frisian cap, the red bonnet, she has now become a universal symbol of revolution, and finally, of course, the figure of the french re