Jacques-Louis David (French, 1748–1825) was the foremost painter of the Neoclassical era, wielding art as both a weapon and a witness to revolution, empire, and exile. Trained at the Royal Academy and steeped in the grandeur of antiquity, David emerged as the visual voice of the French Revolution with uncompromising compositions, such as The Death of Marat. His brush offered clarity and gravitas in a time of chaos, depicting stoic heroes and moral resolve through stark lines and sculptural form.
A close ally of Robespierre and later Napoleon, David navigated political tides with strategic loyalty, producing imperial propaganda such as The Coronation of Napoleon. Yet his later years were marked by disillusionment and exile in Brussels, where he continued to paint but withdrew from public life. His legacy endures as a painter who seamlessly married art to ideology, forging a new visual language that reflected modern power and patriotism.
