David, Jacques-Louis (1748-1825)

This 1822 painting by French neoclassical painter Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) shows the French emperor Napoleon I and the empress Josephine being crowned in Notre Dame, Paris, France. The painting was not completed until 1822, by which time Napoleon had divorced Josephine.

French painter. One of the greatest of the neoclassicists, he sought to give his art a direct political significance. He was an active supporter of the republic during the French Revolution, and was imprisoned 1794-95. In his Death of Marat (1793; Musées Royaux, Brussels), he turned political murder into classical tragedy. Later he devoted himself to the newly created empire in grandiose paintings such as The Coronation of Napoleon (1805-07; Louvre, Paris).

David studied in Paris and then in Rome, drawing the Roman statues and familiarizing himself with the main figures of the Renaissance. Between 1775 and 1785, inspired by his work in Rome, he evolved his strikingly neoclassical idiom. An important picture from this period is The Oath of the Horatii (1784; Louvre, Paris), a work in which he set out to rouse Republican patriotic fervour.

After the death of the Jacobin leader Robespierre, David was twice imprisoned and narrowly escaped the guillotine. His The Rape of Sabine Women (1799; Louvre, Paris) is dedicated to his wife, whose calls for clemency helped to secure his release.

When Napoleon came to power, David became his official painter, creating such imperial images as Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1800; Louvre, Paris) and Napoleon Distributing the Eagles (1810; Versailles). David's major works also include portraits, one of the finest being Mme Récamier (1800; Louvre, Paris).

His style, which was inherited by several of his pupils, most notably Ingres, dominated French painting in the first half of the 19th century.

David was born in Paris and received his earliest instruction from his uncle, the painter François Boucher; afterwards he studied under the neoclassicist Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809). David's first ambition was to obtain the Prix de Rome, but it was not till after he had made four attempts that he was successful, finally winning the prize in 1774. He then followed Vien to Rome, where he lived for five years. When he returned to France he was admitted to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, his work still guided by Vien. During the Revolution David became an enthusiastic representative for Paris in the Convention and he was made a member of the Committee of Public Safety. After Napoleon's fall, he was banished by the Bourbons and settled in Brussels, where he remained till his death.