Jacques Louis David

Jacques Louis David – Painter of art instead of architecture; tuition with Joseph-Marie Vien

Jacques Louis David was born in Paris on 30 August 1748. His father lost his life in a duel and so two uncles took care of the boy’s upbringing. They strove for a career as architect for their nephew, but Jacques Louis Davis succeeded in his wish to study painting at the Académie Royale under Joseph-Marie Vien from 1766. In 1771, he submitted the painting Mars in Battle with Minerva for the Prix de Rome, and in 1774 he received a scholarship for a picture of the ancient physician Erasistratus which enabled a stay of several years in Rome, where his teacher was meanwhile entrusted with the direction of the French academy. David was interested at this time in the rich art of antiquity, where Raphael, in particular, was both a significant inspiration and a challenge to him. He was also influenced by Domenichino and Guido Reni. These in part very different influences were also reflected in his first major work, his depiction of St. Roch with Plague Patients Before the Virgin, which he completed in 1779. 

Court Painter of the French Revolution

In 1781, Jacques Louis David returned to Paris and became a member of the Académie Royale. He became world famous overnight in 1784 with his distanced and solemn painting, Oath of the Horatii, which he subsequently added to with further large-format paintings of antique and mythological motifs. David also became increasingly involved in politics, and in 1792, the convinced republican became a member of the Parisian Corps electoral and voted without reservation for the execution of King Louis XVI. His role during the turmoil of the revolution was two-fold: Although it was in his power to prevent the destruction of many works of art, he idly watched their ruin because he intended to create everything anew. He painted Queen Marie-Antoinette’s walk to the guillotine, but as avowed Jacobin and close friend of Robespierre and Marat, was himself drawn into the spiral of their downfall, which brought him imprisonment and a death sentence. He continued to paint in prison, however, and finally escaped with his life because his students and admirers defended him. 

Pictorial chronicler of Napoleon; last years in exile

Napoleon’s rise to power brought Jacques Louis David a new field of activity: He created a monumental panorama of the coronation of Napoleon and Empress Josephine in Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral. In the years that followed, David continued to glorify Napoleon’s reign with numerous colourful paintings. However, the downfall of the Empire also meant exile for the artist. He turned down an invitation to Berlin from the Prussian Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm III in order to stay nearer to his beloved France, in Brussels. Jacques Louis David died in Brussels on 29 December 1825. His influence reached into modern times and cannot be valued highly enough. He schooled over 400 students and his art is still coveted: An oil painting by Jacques Louis David sells for up 7 million US dollars on the art market.