Jacques Louis David (1748-1825) was one of the most prominent French Painters. He was born in Paris, France. David was one of the proponents of neoclassical art that flourished between 1770 and 1830. He was one of the leaders of the French Revolution and a member of the radical Jacobian Party. He was a close friend of the infamous leader Maximilien Robespierre. David had also been jailed for his role in the Reign of Terror. The themes of many of David’s paintings had historical subjects.

Success after Three Failed Attempts at Scholarship

David’s father, a small but prosperous dealer in textiles died in a duel in 1757. David was raised by his two uncles. After completing classical literary studies and a course in drawing, he joined the studio of Joseph Marie Vien, a history painter. At 18 years of his age, David enrolled in the school of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. He failed in his three attempts to earn a government scholarship that would afford him an opportunity to stay and study in Italy. Historians say that David, disheartened by his repeated failure, attempted suicide. He finally obtained the much-awaited Government Scholarship that practically guaranteed lucrative commissions in France.

Famous Painting ‘The Death of Marat’

Jacques made around 97 artworks in his lifetime. The famous artworks of David include ‘The Death of Marat‘ and ‘Napoleon Crossing the Alps‘. He is also known for the creation of one of his neoclassical paintings such as ‘Oath of the Horatii’. In his painting, ‘The Death of Marat’ Jacques has painted Jean-Paul Marat, a well-known figure who is credited with spearheading the French Revolution in the late 1700s. Marat was initially a journalist and later became a politician. His death became a moment that signified the turn of events that ended in the final shift in power from the aristocracy. A lady, who had sympathies for the group among the aristocrats that Marat had eradicated, stabbed Marat to death.

A Message to the Assailant, Charlotte Corday

Jacques-Louis David painted ‘The Death of Marat’ only a few months after Marat’s death in 1793. He painted it as a tribute to the life of the famous political figure whose efforts to fight the evils of aristocracy saw the beginning of the bloody revolution. A dying Marat is seen reclining in a bath in this painting. He has a written message in one hand and his other hand is hanging limply beside the bathtub. The writing on the paper had a message addressed to the assailant lady, Charlotte Corday.

‘Oath of the Horatii’

David painted ‘Oath of the Horatii’ in Rome four years before the French Revolution. Louis XVI commissioned Jaques Louis David with the task of painting Oath of the Horatii. It became one of the defining images of that time. In the painting, David shows three brothers swearing by their swords and expressing their solidarity and loyalty with Rome before the battle. In the painting, the father shows his support to them and the women were grieving. This painting became a symbol of patriotism and the face of the French Revolution. Experts say that the subject of the painting illustrates the nobility of putting civic duty before personal preference. It was exhibited at the salon of 1785.

‘The Tennis Court Oath’

‘The Tennis Court Oath is an unfinished painting by Jacques-Louis David. It was created during the period between 1790 and 1794. The painting depicts the eponymous ‘Tennis Court Oath at Versailles, which became one of the important events that led to the French Revolution. The painting is a huge 400 cm by 600 cm canvas portraying the holy importance attached to the collective oath in the 18th century. The collective oath like in the case of ‘The Tennis Court Oath’ had a message of national unity and unanimity during the French Revolution. The painting depicts in great detail the faces of all the deputies who had assembled to show their solidarity for Bailly so that one could establish the identity of each character later. The painting also shows large windows with smiling public personalities. The Tennis Court Oath became in a way a harbinger of the 1789 revolution.

David had harboured animosity toward the French Academy probably because it failed to recognize his talents. When the Jacobians fell from power in 1794, he escaped the guillotine by the skin of his teeth while his friend Robespierre fell to it. David was imprisoned for 7 months, first at Fresnes and then in Luxembourg. It was during this time that the artist met Napoleon Bonaparte, who became David’s worthy hero. In turn, Napoleon realised the potential of David as a propagandist to champion his imperial regime. He appointed David ‘First Painter to the Emperor’ in 1884.

‘The Coronation of Napoleon’

After multiple victorious military campaigns in Italy and Egypt, Napoleon took over as the leader of the Empire. His coronation took place on December 2nd, 1804. Napoleon commissioned Jacques-Louis David to paint the coronation event and gave him precise instructions regarding how and who David should depict in the painting. The painting shows over 100 individuals, mostly those from Napoleon’s family and inner circle. The painting also shows his mother, who did not even attend the coronation as she was against the event.

Napoleon’s Official Painter

Jacques-Louis David was Napoleon’s official painter when he painted Napoleon’s Coronation in 1807. The painting depicted Napoleon’s coronation at Notre-Dame de Paris. The oil painting is huge over 10 meters (33 feet) wide by over 6 meters) tall canvas. Napoleon commissioned David with the work in December 1805 and David commenced work on the painting in a neglected chapel of the College of Cluny, near the Sorbonne. David completed the work in January 1808.

‘Death of Socrates’

The painting depicts an old man sitting on a bed in the centre of a room, addressing a group of men who have surrounded him. One among those who have surrounded the man in the centre gives him a bowl containing poison. David made this touching painting in 1787. The painting makes no sense without understanding the story behind the theme depicted in the painting. Socrates was a famous philosopher in ancient times. Socrates was sentenced to death as he was convicted of impiety. His famous student, Plato, recorded the death scene of Socrates in his work Phaedo. As Plato narrated the incident, Socrates surrounded himself by his closed pupils and discussed the immortality of the soul as he drank the deadly potion. This is one of Jacques David’s all-time greatest paintings.

‘The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries’

Jacques’ painting ‘The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries‘ shows Napoleon in uniform in the study at his Tuileries Palace. Experts feel that Napoleon is unlikely to have sat or posed for the painting. However, the attention to detail and clarity of expression is a mirror to the painter’s artistic magnificence. The three-quarters-life-size painting shows Napoleon as appearing in the uniform of the Imperial Guard Foot Grenadiers. His right hand is tucked inside his jacket and his gaze is fixed on the audience. Alexander Hamilton, a Scottish aristocracy and Napoleon admirer commissioned it in 1811. Jacques completed the painting in 1811.

Portrait of Antoine Laurent Lavoisier and Marie Anne Lavoisier

The painting is a portrait of a man and his wife, Husband Antoine Laurent Lavoisier and his wife Marie Anne working together. The beautiful wife is seen looking over her husband’s paperwork. The studious husband looks up at the wife in appreciation of her beauty. The painting is a depiction of an absolutely amiable family for everyone to see.

Antoine Laurent and his wife had amassed immense wealth from tax farming. Tax farming was not an agricultural term but a financial one. The management of a variable revenue stream is assigned to a third party. The holder of the revenue receives fixed rents from the contractor. Mostly, tax farmers were private business people, some tax farmers were employed by governments. They were paid a salary and money collected by them was given to the government.

French Revolution and Imprisonment

When this painting was first commissioned towards the end of the decade, the French revolution was already brewing. The painter, Jacques Louis David, was twice imprisoned. His paintings depict in his art all the upheaval of his time. He changed his depictions that got more in tune with the rules of the land. 18th Century France introduced new divorce laws and interpretations of anatomy. David used history painting to get out of prison. He was an artist of the revolution and of the times after it.

An interesting article was presented recently. It contained information about the painting’s hidden layers. The original painting by the painter has hidden layers that show the scientific aspects of the primary characters in the portrait. The layer hidden underneath the visible outer layer is that of a husband and wife but sharing business interests. Affluently dressed, Marie Anne is seen in a beautiful hat. The husband holds paperwork. It shows the couple in opulent indulgence. It’s interesting to see how the different images are juxtaposed in style – one in scientific study and the other in discussion over business matters.

The couple was known to be interested in scientific research. The dull science practised by Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was made interesting to the masses by the exceptional hosting capabilities of Anne Marie. Anne Marie was known on her own terms as interested in scientific matters. She was also a generous hostess and an amiable lady.

She was a translator, illustrator, public relations expert, and also secretary.

They were also very wealthy due to diligent work done with tax farming. They were so rich it was assumed they paid 7000 livres, which was quite a fortune for that time.

As to the hidden layer on the painting, it is thought that the painter had to repaint the underlying layer that showed wealth and opulence. The patrons decided to not celebrate their wealth but bring out their industry and scientific work. The painting was apparently remade by painting over the original painting. It is also assumed the remake was done on the express wishes of Anne Marie.

Banished From France After Fall of Napoleon

After the fall of Napoleon in 1815, David faced disgrace by way of removal from the list of members of the institute. He was banished from France, treating him as a ‘kingslayer’. David refused an invitation from the King of Prussia to go to Berlin where he was to take over the management of all art institutions. Instead, he moved to Brussels so that he could stay close to France. He continued to paint despite his age and misfortune. Ten years into his exile, he was struck by a carriage and sustained injuries from which he did not recover. Jacques-Louis David died on December 29, 1825, in Brussels, Belgium.

References:

https://heritagesciencejournal.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s40494-021-00551-y.pdf

Importance of science and finance in the pre-revolution French society

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/715463