Jacques Louis David
Biography and Paintings of Neoclassical French Artist J-L David
Visual Arts Guide

Death of Marat (1793)

Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825)

One of the most celebrated French artists of his day, Jacques-Louis David was a principal exponent of the neoclassical style that rejected the frivolity of the Rococo school which was popular at the time. Close to key figures in the new French Republic, his history painting was often monumental and used as propaganda by the Government. His most famous works include The Oath of the Horatii, 1784 (Louvre, Paris), Death of Marat (Musées Royaux, Brussels, 1793) and the Sabine Woman, 1794 (Louvre, Paris). He is now considered one of the last great Old Masters in the history of art.

David was born to a wealthy Parisian family in 1748. When he was seven, his father was shot dead in a pistol duel, so he was brought up by uncles. He showed a desire to paint at an early age, and his mother eventually sent him to her cousin, the eminent artist Francois Boucher to study fine art painting.

The Oath of the Horatii (1784)

Painting was an important means of communication for David, particularly after he developed a stutter when his face was slashed during a sword fight. However Boucher did not get on with the boy, so he sent him instead to Joseph Marie Vien, the French Neoclassical painter who had recently been appointed Director of the French Academy at Rome. In Italy, David studied the classics and came into contact with classical revisionists such as Gavin Hamilton.

In 1780 he returned to Paris where he quickly became known for his anti-Rococo style. He subordinated his use of colour to drawing, and this economy of style was very much in keeping with the severity of the time (he was an anti-royalist and pro-republic). The themes of his work expressed self-sacrifice, devotion to duty and austerity. This can be seen vividly in his work The Oath of the Horatii and The Death of Socrates, 1787.

Detail of, The Death Of Socrates (1787)

Another important work at this time is The Death Of Marat which lead the modern art critic Simon Schama to say, 'if there's ever a picture that would make you want to die for a cause, it is Jacque-Louis David's Death of Marat. That's what makes it so dangerous - hidden away from view for so many years'. David became close friends with Maximilien Robespierre and in 1794, after the fall of Robespierre, David was imprisoned. His wife divorced him (she was a royalist), but they were remarried in 1796 on his release. In prison he started his famous painting the Sabine Woman.

Other important works include The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons, 1789 (Louvre, Paris), and Napoleon in His Study, 1812 (The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC).

Napoleon Crossing Through the
Saint Bernard Pass, 1801 (Detail)

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After the Revolution he became official court painter to the new regime and produced a series of paintings glorifying the Emperor Napoleon and his exploits. The most famous of which are Napoleon Crossing through the St. Bernard Pass, 1801 and The Coronation of Napoleon, 1805 (Louvre, Paris). These paintings showed the development of his new 'empire' style which was noticeable for a warming in the colours of his palette. After the fall of the Republic, the new Bourbon King Louis XVIII, an admirer of David's work, granted him amnesty and even offered his the position of court painter. David declined and chose to go into exile in Belgium instead. His works became smaller in scale and focused more on mythological scenes. His last great work begun in 1822, Mars Disarmed by Venus and the Three Graces, and was just finished before he died in 1825 (when he was hit by a carriage).

After his death, some of his smaller works sold, but not for large sums and his famous painting of Marat had to taken away from public view to avoid outrage. His body was not allowed to be returned to France for burial, so he is buried at Evere Cemetery in Brussels. His works influenced a generation of famous artists after him, including his pupils Antoine-Jean Gros and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.

...For a short biography of the greatest Florentine Renaissance artists, see Michelangelo.

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