CH 16: The European Moment in World History, 1750-1914Art of the French Revolution

Born: 1748 Died: 1825

Born to a wealthy Parisian family, Jacques-Louis David was aged 7 when his father was shot dead in a pistol duel. Brought up by his uncles, his desire was to paint & he was eventually sent to his mother's cousin, Francois Boucher, the most successful painter in France at the time.

Painting became a means of communication for David since his face was slashed during a sword fight & his speech became impeded by a benign tumour that developed from the wound, leading him to stammer.

New classical style that reflected the moral & austere climate before the French Revolution. David became closely aligned w/the republican government & his work was increasingly used as propaganda with the Death of Marat proving his most controversial work. His complete works can be found here: http://www.jacqueslouisdavid.org

Jacques-Louis David

Oath of the Horatii 1784Immediately became a huge success w/critics & the publicRemains the best known painting of Neoclassicism:

Western movements in the decorative & visual arts, literature, theatre, music, & architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art & culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome.

Depicts a scene from a Roman legend about a dispute between 2 warring cities; Rome & Alba Longa, when 3 brothers from a Roman family, the Horatii, agree to end the war by fighting 3 brothers from a family of Alba Longa, the Curiatii. 3 brothers, appear willing to sacrifice their lives for the good of Rome. Shown saluting their father who holds their swords out for them. Sources for the story are the 1st book of Livy, the Roman Historian/Mythmaker. However, the moment depicted in David's painting is his own invention.

A paradigm of neoclassical art. Increased David's fame, allowing him to take on his own students.

The Tennis Court Oath at Versailles by David (unfinished)Drawing was originally intended to be a print for a commissioned painting, but it was never finished.

Outstretched arms show David's deeply held belief that acts of republican virtue akin to those of the Romans were being played out in France.

In what was essentially an act of intellect & reason, David creates an air of drama in this work. The very power of the people appears to be "blowing" through the scene with the stormy weather, in a sense alluding to the storm that would be the revolution.The Revolution as an unstoppable force of nature.

David, Marat's colleague in the Convention, had visited him only the day before the murder. David saw in Marat a model of antique "virtue." Marat is dying: his eyelids droop, his head weighs heavily on his shoulder, his right arm slides to the ground. His body, as painted by David, is that of a healthy man, still young. The face is marked by suffering, but is also gentle & suffused by a growing peacefulness as the pangs of death loosen their grip.

The Death of Marat 1787