Delacroix’s painting on the cover is significant because of the number of reasons. The image is famous and easily recognizable. People who know the artwork may be more inclined to listen to unfamiliar music. The bright white writing across the album modifies the familiar painting and thus attracts even more. Moreover, “Liberty Leading the People” depicts revolution and is revolutionary at the same time as it marks the transition of art trends of its era to the ideas of romanticism. It was one of the first romantic paintings that came as a change to then widely accepted aristocratic social and political norms and scientific rationalization of nature. Similarly, the new transformed image is revolutionary at this point as it takes accepted and admired artwork and distorts it. This change serves to modernize the painting, while keeping revolution as the main theme. Thus this particular image serves its economic purpose of attracting customers to buy the album.

Connection of the song and the painting directly contribute to making the album successful commodity. “Viva la Vida” means “Live the life”.  The song is about life of a king who goes from being rich and influential figure one day to complete opposite the next. In larger context the song implies changeability of life in general through very specific political change – revolution. This change doesn’t appear passively; instead people take action to bring this change because they “livethe life” and strive for positive changes. The artwork also depicts these ideas: people on the painting are dedicated to taking active steps for improving their lives through revolution that is going to bring big change to the social and political situation.  The combination of the song and the image convey the idea that people play an important role in the process of changes.

I believe this particular design of the cover applies well to the target audience of young people. Quite often young people have the tendency to rebel against widely accepted rules and norms.  Using this particular artwork and painting over it is a form of a rebellion against what is commonly accepted. Furthermore, the name on the cover of “Viva la Vida” meaning “Live the life” implies that just as the designers took active step and modified famous painting through boldly painting those words across the artwork, people should be brave to take active steps in their lives.

So, the replicated and modified copy of famous painting by Delacroix the designers used on the cover of Coldplay’s album “Viva la Vida” makes the record a successful commodity. It attracts people’s attention through distorting original painting and making it “revolutionary”, implies that people are active elements of the process of change and addresses target audience by being brave in designing the cover. Finally, just as the painting shows protagonists taking action to live and improve their lives, the image on the album cover encourages viewers to “live the life”: to take action and strive for positive changes starting with buying this music album.