Jacques-Louis David , born August 30, , Paris , France—died December 29, , Brussels , Belgium , the most celebrated French artist of his day and a principal exponent of the late 18th-century Neoclassical reaction against the Rococo style. David won wide acclaim with his huge canvases on classical themes e. When the French Revolution began in , he served briefly as its artistic director and painted its leaders and martyrs The Death of Marat , in a style that is more realistic than classical.

Aug 30, 1748 - Dec 29, 1825
Formative years
Portrait of a Man , — Robert Simon Fine Art. Galerie Dreyfus. Adam and Eve.
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Jacques-Louis David was a French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. David later became an active supporter of the French Revolution and friend of Maximilien Robespierre, and was effectively a dictator of the arts under the French Republic. Imprisoned after Robespierre's fall from power, he aligned himself with yet another political regime upon his release: that of Napoleon, The First Consul of France. At this time he developed his Empire style, notable for its use of warm Venetian colours. After Napoleon's fall from Imperial power and the Bourbon revival, David exiled himself to Brussels, then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, where he remained until his death. David had many pupils, making him the strongest influence in French art of the early 19th century, especially academic Salon painting. Online Exhibit Artist highlights Slideshow auto-selected from multiple collections.
David later became an active supporter of the French Revolution and friend of Maximilien Robespierre — , and was effectively a dictator of the arts under the French Republic. Imprisoned after Robespierre's fall from power, he aligned himself with yet another political regime upon his release: that of Napoleon , the First Consul of France. At this time he developed his Empire style , notable for its use of warm Venetian colours. After Napoleon's fall from Imperial power and the Bourbon revival, David exiled himself to Brussels , then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands , where he remained until his death. David had many pupils , making him the strongest influence in French art of the early 19th century, especially academic Salon painting. When he was about nine his father was killed in a duel and his mother left him with his well-off architect uncles. He covered his notebooks with drawings, and he once said, "I was always hiding behind the instructor's chair, drawing for the duration of the class". Soon, he desired to be a painter, but his uncles and mother wanted him to be an architect.