Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii.
The Oath of the Horatii, was painted in 1784 and is considered the true cornerstone of Neo-Classicism. This painting according to scholars gave visual form to the ideas of the French Revolution before the events of Greek history. The Oath depicts three warrior brothers extending their arms toward “the handful of swords that their father thrusts aloft” (Smith), and a group of women and children huddling off to the side in the background. The focus in this painting is described as “too complex”, resistant and versatile, a political concept in history. The painting slowly reveals itself or rather its meaning in bits and pieces. David assures his knowledge of anatomy in the image by depicting an ideal sense of smooth polished skin, and developed muscular structure. There were many French painters of the 19th century who followed him, like his student Ingres, Delacroix and Gericault. Jacques-Louis David was the image “personification” of the Academy in the 19th century.
Jacques-Louis David was born in 1748 in Paris into a family of master masons and architects. He entered the French Academy at age 17 but struggled to establish himself as a decorated artist. It took nearly a decade for him to find his style and five tries to win the Prix de Rome (award), in which at one point he attempted suicide by starving himself for two days. David was describes as an ambitious person who strived to stay ahead once he attained his status. In 1793 David was elected, deputy to the National Convention during Louis XVI trial, where he voted for his execution. He organized revolutionary festivals and painted “Marat Assassinated,” years later he served a year in prison “after the fall of the Jacobins” (Smith). He served as Napoleon’s first “named” painter a position in which he initially turned down.
In 1980 Empire to Exile, the first major exhibition of David’s (his) work was shown in the United States featuring twenty-six paintings and twenty-two drawings. The Empire to Exile, Clark show was organized in collaboration with the J. Paul Getty Museum, and overseen by Philippe Bordes, a teacher at the University of Lyon. The exhibition concentrated on portraits that depicted Napoleon and mythological scenes; as well as drawings done in Brussels. The exhibition showcased a rare look into the innovative painter who apparently admired the work of Michelangelo. David also grew up admiring Boucher, and his work closely aligned with Boucher’s. David’s heroic image of Napoleon Crossing the Saint-Bernard, scholars speculate that he was hinting at the impossibility of Napoleon’s heroic crossing of the Alps, referencing the tiny soldiers trudging in the background. It is fact that Napoleon originally made the trip on a mule but he was painted on an elegant steed. David later died in 1815 after his exiled to Brussels; in the event of his unfortunate death during his life he expanded his understanding of the human body from his collections of antique sculptures, he was considered the first painter of modern life.
ROBERTA, SMITH. "ART REVIEW; Sizing Up Jacques-Louis David, in a Compact Way." New York Times 10 June 2005: 39. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Mar. 2012.
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