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David enthusiastically greeted the French Revolution and from 1789 he actively
participated in political life. In 1791 he was elected a deputy of the Convention
from Paris. He voted for the death of Louis XVI in 1793 and supported Robespierre’s
and the left radicals’ regime; David was a member of the Committee of Public
Safety and artistic director of the great national fêtes founded on classical
customs. After the 9 Termidor (27 July) 1794 coup, when Robespierre and his closest
supporters were overthrown and hurriedly executed by the temporary coalition of
both left- and right-wing moderates in the Convention, David was arrested twice
and narrowly escaped with his life. His political career ended, but his artistic
career revived. The most prominent work of the second half of the 1790s was The
Intervention of the Sabine Women.
In 1797 he met Napoleon and was granted a single portrait sitting, during which
David did not manage to paint much, but was absolutely captivated by Napoleon's
personality. Later on David created many paintings devoted to his new hero and
his relatives: Bonaparte Crossing the St. Bernard Pass (1800), Napoleon in His
Study (1812), the grandiose canvases Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I
and Coronation of the Empress Josephine (1808), The Distribution of the Eagle
Standards, etc. |
