JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID (1748-1825)

David was the most influential painter of his time. He was known for his classical themes and moral vision and painted many of the leaders of the French Revolution.

David was heavily involved in the politics of his time. He was a Jacobin during the French Revolution and as a member of the National Convention he voted in 1792 for the death of Louis XVI. He was at the time a virtual dictator in art and taste. During this time he succeeded in abolishing the Académie Royale, which, having been founded by Mazarin, controlled the training, aesthetic and patronage of artists. The Académie had encouraged an excessive style that was losing favor in pre-Revolutionary days. As a revolutionary artist, he had a number of large projects, not all of which were completed such a "Oath of the Tennis Court". Perhaps the most famous painting of David's came out of this period: "The Death of Marat", considered by some to be his masterpiece.

Like many during this period, David was to suffer imprisonment. This took place in 1794 after the death of Robespierre who was a friend. He was allowed to paint while in prison where he completed one of several self-portraits. From 1795 on he taught, inspiring such painters as Ingres and Gros.

It was the painting "The Intervention of the Sabine Women" that attracted Napoleon, who brought him to court, during which time he painted several portraits of the Emperor. "Napoleon Crowning the Empress Josephine" is his most impressive work of this period.

David was trained by artists of the Rococo and was heavily influenced by his grandmother's cousin, Francois Boucher, Poussin and Caravaggio, from whom he learned his sense of light. A trip to Italy, including the study of Roman ruins and particularly the excavations of Pompeii was to have a major effect on his work, as was a later trip to Flanders enabling David to study the work of Rubens.