‘J-L David & the Napoleonic Adventure: Politics, Propaganda & Patronage.’
5:15pm 28th July 2015: Marlborough College Summer School
This lecture will explore the near-symbiotic relationship that existed between Napoleon Bonaparte and painter-advocate Jacques-Louis David, through propagandist image-making from the dashing young General to Emperor of the French and, subsequently, his demise. The Napoleonic work of T. Géricault, A-J Gros, J.A.D Ingres and P. Delaroche will serve as comparative models, in which the leader is portrayed in various guises; legislator, statesman, military hero and compassionate philanthropist. This subject is particularly poignant at a time which marks the bicentenary of Napoleon’s return to power, defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, and exile to the island of St Helena. David’s carefully constructed works capture the zeitgeist politically, whilst artistically they represent a unique blend of ‘Classicism on the point of disruption’.