Neoclassical Period
Neoclassicism was very important in France. Neoclassical began in Europe in the late 1700s and lasted until the early 1800s. Neoclassical art emphasized courage, sacrifice, nationalism, and tradition. Under the influence of the Enlightenment period, styles began to change. Artists worked in a simple and elegant style that borrowed ideas and themes from classical Greece and Rome.
Portrait of King XV
The Rococo period succeeded the Baroque style. It was the reflection of the new King Louis XV’s rise to the throne. The previous king had lived in an era where art was rich, elegant, and huge as the Baroque style requires. But with the new reign of a young vivacious king the style changed which led to the Rococo era. Rococo still maintained some elements of the Baroque period, including the need for intricate detail, but it also began to integrate other elements from other parts of the world, such as influences from oriental designs and asymmetrical compositions. Louis-Michel van Loo was a French painter. He painted many portraits of Louis XV of France.
David Jacques-Louis
David Jacques-Louis was the leading neoclassical painter of his time. David Jacques-Louis was active in the political side of the French Revolution. He brought about the downfall of the French Royal Academy, freeing artists from its narrow tradition. Jacques-Louis was a supporter of Napoleon from the beginning, impressed with General Napoleon Bonaparte’s classic features. Requesting a sitting from the occupied and impatient general, Jacques-Louis had been allowed to paint Napoleon in 1797. Following the declaration of the Empire in the year 1804, Jacques-Louis would become the official court artist of the regime.
Napoleon Crossing the St. Bernard Pass
With Napoleon’s successful coup of 1799, as First Consul he authorized Jacques-Louis David to record his bold crossing of the Alps. The crossing of the St. Bernard Pass, the French army stormed the...