Jacques-Louis David

Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825) was a French painter and a central figure in Neoclassicism. Born in Paris, he trained with Joseph-Marie Vien and studied in Rome. Works such as The Oath of the Horatii established a visual language of severe composition, classical subject matter and public moral purpose.

David participated in the French Revolution and later became closely associated with Napoleon, producing images that helped construct the leader's heroic public identity. He was also an accomplished portrait painter. After Napoleon's defeat, David lived and worked in exile in Brussels. His career demonstrates the close relationship between artistic authority, political allegiance and the making of memorable images of power.