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.

Napoleon

Napoleon visited his studio in 1797, and David recorded his face, which later became his famous Napoleon crossing the St Bernard Pass. Napoleon actually had used a mule, but instead he insisted that David paint his favorite horse. Napoleon had high esteem for David, and asked him to accompany him to Egypt, but David refused. After the proclamation of the empire, he became the official court painter of the regime.

Related Topics:
St Bernard Pass - Egypt

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One of the works David was commissioned for was The Coronation of Napoleon in Notre Dame. David was permitted to watch the event. He had plans of Notre Dame delivered and participants in the coronation came to his studio to pose individually. For his background, David had the choir of Notre Dame act as his fill-in characters. The Pope came to sit for the painting, and actually blessed David. Napoleon came to see the painter, stared at the canvas for an hour and said ?David, I salute you.? David had to redo several parts of the painting because of Napoleon's various whims, and for this painting, David received only 24,000 Francs.

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Napoleon attempted to take over all Europe, and with his incredible genius nearly did. Napoleon's attempts at sea were ended by Admiral Nelson, but a combined Austrian Russian army was defeated at Austerlitz solely by the emperor?s genius, which made him master of Germany. Napoleon, encouraged by his victories, turned to Spain, and lost slowly due to guerilla warfare backed by England. Napoleon attempted to wipe out the Russians, but it proved his undoing. The Russians retreated, burning everything in their path, and the winter froze the French army. Napoleon swiftly retreated to Paris to raise a new army to counter the Quadruple Alliance of Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia, but the alliance armies managed to drive all the way to Paris, where Louis XVIII took the throne.

Related Topics:
Admiral Nelson - Austerlitz - Louis XVIII

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