Jacques-Louis David

Neoclassical Neoclassical stylestyle

Biography:

Jacques-Louis David was born in 1748 and died in 1825. He was a highly influential French painter in the Neoclassical style.He was not only artistically, but also politically active

Neoclassical Style: NeoclassicismNeoclassicism - a new imitation of Classicism; artists

were deliberately imitating Roman and Greek art. The second half of 18th century Europe - the

Enlightenment or the Age of Reason – artists felt free from the restrictions of religion and traditional authority; ideas of liberty and equality.

Art had to move a person's deepest feelings and teach virtue. Artists believed that it should serve the nation and be good for the people, just as it had for the ancient GreeksGreeks and RomansRomans.

Classical art depicted serious subjects in a serious way

Quote:“David not only selected a serious subject of Greek history, he painted the story in an appropriately severe classical style. David created figures that resemble famous classical statutes, and he arranged them across the surface of the canvas as in a classical relief. The architectural background is suitably stark. To bring out the dramatic presence of the character, however, David resorted to Caravaggio's Tenebrism. He played a strong light on the precisely detailed figures and left the rest of the picture in darkness so as to sharpen the impact of the drama.”

Bio…He was born in a prosperous family in Paris but he was never a good student. He had a tumor that impeded his speech, and he wanted to a painter.In 1774 he went to Rome where he spent six years. Roman artists influenced his earlier grand manner style of the Baroque and he started experimenting with Neoclassical idioms.In the 1780s his cerebral brand of History painting marked a change in taste away from Rococo frivolity towards a classical austerity and severity. History History paintingspaintings included paintings with religious, mythological, historical, literary, or allegorical subjects--they embodied some interpretation of life or conveyed a moral or intellectual message.Back in Paris, the King granted David lodging in the Louvrelodging in the Louvre - an ancient and much desired privilege of great artistsHis marriage to Marguerite Charlotte Pecol brought him money and eventually four children

Early works: In Rome, he painted his famous Oath of the HoratiiOath of the Horatii - a depiction of the Roman salute. The painting occupies an extremely important place in the body of David’s work and in the history of French painting. Its theme is extremely patriotic and has neoclassical perspective. It later became a model work for future painters. Probably, the most famous and certainly the most severe of a series of works by Davis, which extolled the antique virtues of stoicism, masculinity and patriotism

Politics and Art:David became an active supporter of the French Revolution. During the French Revolution, David played an active role both artistically he reorganized the Académe and produced numerous and spectacular propaganda exercises - and politically, as an avid supporter of Robespierre, who voted for the execution of the king. As a friend of Maximilien de Robespierre, he became a dictator of the arts under the French Republic. But after Robespierre's fall from power, David was imprisoned. From this period is the portrayal of

the Death of MaratDeath of Marat (1793, Brussels, Musée Royaux).

Politics and Art:

Later, David simpatized another political regime - that of Napoleon I. He recorded Napoleon in numerous propaganda pieces

Napoleon in His Study 1812Oil on canvas80 1/4 x 49 1/4 in. (203.9 x 125.1 cm)The National Gallery of Art,Washington, D.C.

Bonaparte 1798Oil on canvas

31 7/8 x 25 5/8 inMusee du Louvre, Paris

Art and Politics:

Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the EmpressJosephine in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris on 2 Dec 1804

1806 and 1807 Oil on canvas 621 x 979 cm Musee du Louvre, Paris

Art …He potrayed/symbolized his wife in his Intervention of theIntervention of the Sabine WomenSabine Women (1799, Paris, Louvre) - a work which strained his Classicism in the search for Greek purity.

In 1815 retired in exile to Brussels, where he continued to work

Jacques-Louis David: David had a huge number of pupils, making him the strongest influence in French art of the 19th century, especially academic Salon painting. The The Paris SalonParis Salon,, Salon de Paris, is the official art exhibition of the Académie des beaux-arts in Paris, France.

He developed his 'Empire style', notable for its use of warm Venetian colours, more pictorial and colourful. Throughout his career he produced portraiture which not only catalogued the changing political spectrum, but also his own artistic developments (e.g. Antoine Lavoisier and his Antoine Lavoisier and his WifeWife, 1788, New York, Metropolitan Museum).

Jacques-Louis David:

Probably his most famous painting is The Death of SocratesThe Death of Socrates 1787

Death of SocratesDeath of Socrates was a moral lesson in courage and sacrifice for the truth. It encouraged those who saw it to stand by their convictions no matter what the consequences.

Reference: Wikipedia. Article on Jacques-Louis David - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques-Louis_DavidThe Archive, art forum. Jacques-Louis David - http://artchive.com/artchive/D/david.html#imagesThe Archive, art forum, classicism http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:-JAgABQ1hMgJ:artchive.com/artchive/neo_classical.html+classicism+art&hl=bg&gl=bg&ct=clnk&cd=8Art history guide - http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:DXkv1fa_oAwJ:www.arthistoryguide.com/Classicism.aspx+classicism+art&hl=bg&gl=bg&ct=clnk&cd=3