The iconic paintings of Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825), including "The Death of Marat" and "The Coronation of Napoleon," have long symbolized the French Revolution and Napoleonic Empire in the collective imagination. However, a new exhibition at the Louvre Museum reveals these masterpieces also reflect the artist's radical political engagement, positioning him at the center of some of history's most turbulent political moments.
"He was probably the first artist who had a leading political role during the Revolution, particularly in 1793-1794 during the Terror," explains Sébastien Allard, director of the paintings department at the renowned Parisian museum and curator of the exhibition. The comprehensive show presents around one hundred paintings and drawings in a thematic journey, demonstrating that art and politics were always inseparable for this monument of historical painting, widely considered the "father of the French School."
Among the featured works is the original version of the famous "The Death of Marat" (from the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels), the imposing fragment of "The Tennis Court Oath" (on loan from the Louvre to the Palace of Versailles), and four restored paintings including a rare self-portrait. This marks the first exhibition dedicated to David since 1989, coinciding with the bicentennial of the French Revolution, and aims to present him "in his entirety," without distinguishing between the man and his work, Allard notes. The Louvre houses the world's most important collection of David's creations.
The exhibition begins with David's meteoric rise under the monarchy after joining the Royal Academy at age 26 and creating "The Oath of the Horatii," a massive canvas that secured his fame. At this time, he lived "in a world where one could not be a great painter without the king's favor. He benefited from it but would also vote for Louis XVI's death without hesitation," explains Côme Fabre, Allard's deputy for this exhibition. Despite receiving royal patronage, David was housed free of charge at the Louvre, then a royal palace, where he would establish "one of the largest workshops in art history, welcoming up to 80 students from across Europe at its peak," adds Aude Gobet, head of the study and documentation service of the museum's paintings department.
Born in Paris in 1748, David would experience six different political regimes and actively participate in the French Revolution by aligning himself with Maximilien Robespierre. Initially a Revolutionary figure driven by humanist ideals, Robespierre would eventually send thousands to the guillotine, establishing the reign of terror. The painter "became radicalized. Elected as a deputy of Paris with help from journalist Marat, he became a member of the committee of general security (internal police), president of the Jacobin club, and for several weeks, president of the Convention," Allard recounts.
This episode forms the heart of the exhibition, which presents "The Death of Marat" in a dramatic chiaroscuro setting. The painting depicts the journalist in his bath after his murder by another Republican, Charlotte Corday. Representing the "summit of the painter's art," this work also reveals his "talents as a propagandist." "He transforms this ultra-violent journalist into a hero, just as he would later paint Napoleon's coronation, completely devoted to the emperor's cause," even if it meant falsely legitimizing his authority, Fabre emphasizes.
Charged with organizing Marat's funeral, David "even imagined, in the middle of summer, displaying his embalmed corpse at his work desk but abandoned the idea due to its state of decomposition," Allard details. Instead, he painted him. The painting was "displayed in the Louvre's square courtyard on the day of Marie Antoinette's execution," then "throughout France, becoming a sort of icon of civic worship," he adds.
When Robespierre was executed, David fell ill and was imprisoned. "He benefited from his immense aura as an artist and skillfully managed his own defense," according to Fabre. The painter would return to prominence with "The Intervention of the Sabine Women" (1799), a massive canvas presented in the exhibition that depicts women intervening to end combat.
In 1801, David painted "Bonaparte Crossing the Alps," portraying him as a hero and considering him "the providential man, born from the Revolution, who arrives to save France," Allard highlights. The exhibition concludes with the painter's exile to Brussels following the restoration of the monarchy and his banishment as a "regicide," as well as his lasting legacy to art history.
