|

Jacques-Louis David (August 30, 1748 – December 29, 1825) was a highly
influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be
the prominent painter of the era. In the 1780s his cerebral brand of
history painting marked a change in taste away from Rococo frivolity
towards a classical austerity and severity, chiming with the moral
climate of the final years of the ancien régime.
David later became an active supporter of the French Revolution and
friend of Maximilien Robespierre, and was effectively a dictator of the
arts under the French Republic. Imprisoned after Robespierre's fall
from power, he aligned himself with yet another political regime upon
his release, that of Napoleon I. It was at this time that he developed
his 'Empire style', notable for its use of warm Venetian colours. David
had a huge number of pupils, making him the strongest influence in
French art of the 19th century, especially academic Salon painting.
Male Nude known as Hector
Male Nude known as Patroclus
Portrait of a young Woman in a Turban
Portrait of Louise Trudaine
The Courtship of Paris and Helen
The Death of Seneca
The Farewell of Telemachus and Eucharis |