Revolution to Republic: The art of France

About

On this three-week course, art historian Simon Lee will show how the paintings of Boilly and his contemporaries such as David, Géricault andDelacroix responded to the unprecedented upheavals in French society from the Revolution to the Empire of Napoleon, and from the return of the Bourbon kings to their overthrow by the July Monarchy.

‘Vive les Arts’: David from the French Revolution to the rise of Napoleon

How and why did David, painter to the King, convert so completely to the cause of the French Revolution, becoming the supreme artist of the most politically radical nation on earth? And how as a champion of the Revolution and close friend of Robespierre, did he escape execution in 1794 and go on to become a favoured portraitist of Napoleon?

We consider David’s key paintings of the Revolution and the early years of Napoleon, including 'The Death of Marat' and 'Napoleon crossing the Alps' in the context of his roller-coaster career and the turbulent times in which he was living. We'll also compare his first portraits of Napoleon with those by his contemporaries, Gros and Ingres.

After the break, we'll consider the rise of Leopold-Louis Boilly during the revolutionary period including both his witty scenes of social observation, his meticulous illusions designed to trick the eye, as well as his Revolutionary works, such as 'The Triumph of Marat' (1794)