Jacques Louis David Essay - 2128 Words

David was the virtual art dictator of France for a generation. Extending beyond painting, his influence determined the course of fashion, furniture design, and interior decoration and was reflected in the development of moral philosophy. His art was a sudden and decisive break with tradition, and from this break modern art is dated. David studied with Vien, and after winning the Prix de Rome (which had been refused him four times, causing him to attempt suicide by starvation) he accompanied Vien to Italy in 1775. His pursuit of the antique, nurtured by his time in Rome, directed the classical revival in French art. He borrowed classical forms and motifs, predominantly from sculpture, to illustrate a sense of virtue he mistakenly†¦show more content†¦During the Restoration David spent his last years in Brussels. As a portraitist he was at his most distinguished, although he belittled this painting genre. Using living, rather than sculptured models, he allowed his spontaneous sentiment to be revealed. In these last years his portraits, such as Antoine Mongez and His Wife Angelica (1812; Lille) and Bernard (1820; Louvre) are enormously vital and in them the seeds of the new romanticism are clearly discernible. Jacques-Louis David was born into a prosperous middle-class family in Paris on August 30, 1748. In 1757 his mother left him to be raised by his uncles after his father was killed. He was never a good student in school- in his own words, I was always hiding behind the instructors chair, drawing for the duration of the class. When David was 16 he began studying art at the Acadeacute;mie Royale under the rococo painter J. M. Vien. After many unsuccessful attempts, he finally won the Prix de Rome in 1774, and on the ensuing trip to Italy he was strongly influenced by classical art and by the classically inspired work of the 17th-century painter Nicolas Poussin. David quickly evolved his own individual neoclassical style, drawing subject matter from ancient sources and basing form and gesture on Roman sculpture. His famous Oath of the Horatii was consciously intended as a proclamation of the new neoclassical style in whichShow MoreRelatedThe Death Of Marat By Jacques Louis David1311 Words   |  6 Pagesoutstanding figure in neoclassical art, Jacques-Louis David released his painting titled The Death of Marat in 1793 after the murder of Jean-Paul Marat. The revolutionary painting shows Marat’s deceased body soaking in a bloody bath, with a quell in hand. Many thoughtfully placed details are included in the piece that add to the implication that one should focus on the sacrifices, and involvement Marat made during the French Revolution. With the use of symbolism, David coax’s the audience into viewing MaratRead MoreJacques Louis David And His Life During The French Revolution2483 Words   |  10 PagesJacques Louis David: An in-depth comparison of his Roman Empire Masterpieces and his life during the French Revolution Semester Research Paper Fall 2014 Throughout history many works of art have depicted events that have happened in the past through the artists eyes. In these works we can see many styles and types of art that display the artist mood, feelings, reactions and perspective. The early beginnings of Rome and the struggles that occurred are seen in Jacques Louis David early paintings.Read MoreThe Death Of Socrates And Jacques-Louis David1578 Words   |  7 PagesThe Death of Socrates was painted by the French painter Jacques-Louis David during the Neo-classical era in 1787. The painting illustrates the execution the Philosopher Socrates as told by Plato in his Phaedo. 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As a judge, he wasRead MoreBiography of French Painter Jacques-Louis David Essay533 Words   |  3 PagesMy first choice of French painter, Jacques-Louis David’s work is Napoleon Crossing the Alps. As important as the Church of the Savor on Blood was and still is important to Russia, Jacques-Louis David was important to revolutionary France. He lived in a very turbulent time in France’s history. He was a passionate supporter of French Revolution and the idea of overthrowing the monarchy. As a French revolution came closer to reality, David turned away from a typical classical subject that he was trainedRead MoreNapoleon Crossing the Alps (Second Versailles Version)696 Words   |  3 PagesCro ssing the Alps is a painting constructed by Jacques Louis David in the early 1800s. This painting features Napoleon Bonaparte on a horse during his journey through the Alps that he and his army completed in May of 1800. While the painting is based off of an extremely important historical event, Jacques Louis David also used photographic and artistic elements to further depict Napoleon as he crossed the Alps. The artistic elements that Jacques Louis David uses in this piece add extreme detail to theRead MoreCompare And Contrast The Death Of Marat And Michelangelos Pieta1456 Words   |  6 PagesIn these two exquisite works of art or shall we call them the grand master pieces of their era’s. Both Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat and Michelangelo’s Pieta flawlessly reflects the untimely deaths of two significant figures that we know of today. The two figures comprised of Jesus Christ in Michelangelo’s Pieta and Jean-Paul Marat in Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat. In the two pieces we see that the pair of artists portray the figures in a divine and yet virtuous way. One work