Transcript Jacques-Louis David, by Iuliana Beleva

Jacques-Louis David
Neoclassical style
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:
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Neoclassicism - 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
Greeks and Romans.
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
paintings 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 Louvre - an ancient and
much desired privilege of great artists
His marriage to Marguerite Charlotte Pecol brought him money and eventually
four children
Early works:
In Rome, he painted his famous Oath
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 Marat (1793, Brussels,
Musée Royaux).
Politics and Art:
Napoleon in His Study 1812
Oil on canvas
80 1/4 x 49 1/4 in. (203.9 x 125.1 cm)
The National Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C.
Bonaparte 1798
Oil on canvas
31 7/8 x 25 5/8 in
Musee du Louvre, Paris
Later, David simpatized another political regime - that of Napoleon I.
He recorded Napoleon in numerous propaganda pieces
Art and Politics:
Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress
Josephine 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 the
Sabine 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 Paris 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
Wife, 1788, New York, Metropolitan Museum).
Jacques-Louis David:
Probably his most famous painting is The Death of Socrates 1787
Death 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_David
The Archive, art forum. Jacques-Louis David - http://artchive.com/artchive/D/david.html#images
The 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&c
d=8
Art 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