Jacques-Louis David

Jacques-Louis David (August 30, 1748 – December 29 1825) was a highly influential French painter in the Neoclassical style. 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.

Exile

After the Bourbons returned to power, David was exiled at the age of 65, as he had voted to kill the King. He asked the Pope if he could come to Rome, but the Pope, obeying the allies, refused. He went to Brussels, where the King welcomed him. There, he painted Cupid and Psyche and lived out the last days of his life quietly with his wife, whom he had remarried. During this time, he only did scenes from Greek and Roman mythology.

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His last great work, Mars Disarmed by Venus and the Three Graces was begun in 1822 and was finished the year before his death. ?David wanted to outdo himself once more. In December 1823, he wrote: "This is the last picture I want to paint, but I want to surpass myself in it. I will put the date of my 75 years on it and afterwards I will never again pick up my brush." The subject is taken from Greek mythology?David was faithful to the legend? The coloring is translucent and pearly, like painting on porcelain.? The painting was first shown in Brussels and then was sent to Paris, where David's former students flocked to see the painting. The exhibit managed to bring in after operating costs, 13,000 francs, meaning there were more than 10,000 visitors, a huge amount for the time.

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When David was leaving the theater, he was hit by a carriage and later died of deformations to the heart in December 29, 1824. After his death, some of his portrait paintings were sold at auction in Paris, with his paintings going for very small sums. His famous painting of Marat was shown in a special secluded room so as not to outrage the public. David?s body was not allowed into France and was therefore buried in Brussels, but his heart was buried at Père Lachaise, Paris.

Related Topics:
December 29 - 1824 - Père Lachaise

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