Jacques-Louis David
French Neoclassical painter and dictator of arts under the Republic.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Jacques-Louis David (30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered the preeminent painter of the era. His cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in taste away from Rococo frivolity toward classical austerity, severity, and heightened feeling, which harmonized with the moral climate of the final years of the Ancien Régime. David later became an active supporter of the French Revolution and friend of Maximilien Robespierre, and was effectively a dictator of the arts under the French Republic. After Robespierre's fall, he aligned himself with Napoleon, developing his Empire style. Following Napoleon's fall and the Bourbon revival, David exiled himself to Brussels, where he remained until his death.
- born
- 30 August 1748
- died
- 29 December 1825
- field
- Painting
- nationality
- French
- known_for
- Neoclassical history painting; works such as The Death of Marat, Napoleon Crossing the Alps, and The Coronation of Napoleon
Lore & Background
Jacques-Louis David was born into a prosperous French family in Paris on 30 August 1748. When he was about nine his father was killed in a duel and his mother left him with his well-off architect uncles. They saw to it that he received an excellent education at the Collège des Quatre-Nations, University of Paris, but he was never a good student—he had a facial tumor that impeded his speech, and he was always preoccupied with drawing. He overcame opposition to become a painter, learning from François Boucher, who sent him to Joseph-Marie Vien, a painter embracing the classical reaction to Rococo. David attended the Royal Academy and made three consecutive attempts to win the Prix de Rome, failing each time, which contributed to a lifelong grudge against the institution. After a hunger strike following his second loss, he finally won the prize in 1774 and traveled to Italy with Vien in 1775.
Reader's Guide
David's career spans six different political regimes in France, from the Ancien Régime through the Revolution, the Republic, Napoleon's rule, and the Bourbon restoration. He was a prolific artist whose imagery has entered the collective imagination, with famous paintings including The Death of Marat, Napoleon Crossing the Alps, and The Coronation of Napoleon. His work harmonized with the moral climate of the late Ancien Régime and later served revolutionary and imperial propaganda. As a teacher, David had many pupils, making him the strongest influence in French art of the early 19th century, especially academic Salon painting. His development of the Empire style, notable for its use of warm Venetian colours, marked a shift in his artistic approach under Napoleon. After Napoleon's fall, David exiled himself to Brussels, where he remained until his death in 1825. His legacy is that of a painter who both reflected and shaped the political and aesthetic currents of his turbulent era.
Did You Know?
- David had a facial tumor that impeded his speech as a child.
- He went on a two-and-a-half-day hunger strike after losing the Prix de Rome for the second time.
- He filled twelve sketchbooks in Italy that he and his studio used as model books for the rest of his life.
- David was imprisoned after Robespierre's fall from power before aligning himself with Napoleon.
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