Tweed Museum of Art : Power of Art : David

Rothko

(American, 1903–1970)

This activity is made possible in part by a grant from WNET/PBS 13, New York, through PBS 8/WDSE, Duluth.

Jacques-Louis David arrived on the scene as a young painter around the time King Louis XV died, and his grandson acceded the throne in 1775. The political and social reforms of the day in France included a drastic change in artistic direction. The shift is seen by comparing the frivolous 18th century Baroque or rococo paintings of Watteau, Fragonard and Boucher and the serious educational narratives of David and his many students, which came to be known as Neo-Classisism. This change in aesthetic sensibility paralleled the political unrest that signaled the beginnings of the French Revolution. David’s paintings were often construed as subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, critiques of the Monarchy, as French society evolved from maintaining three classes—nobles, clergy and commoners—into one citizenry of the new French Republic. At one point, David himself was imprisoned as a supporter of the Republic. One of his most famous late works, the Death of Marat, is reproduced in a print from the Tweed collection.

Millet, THe Disappointed Hunter David’s Neo-Classical style influenced many artists, including Jean-Francois Millet. The Tweed Museum’s The Disappointed Hunter of 1841 is among his finest early works, and this painting has been included in exhibitions around the world. In this painting, Millet blended classical references and academic techniques like David’s, with the looser, more freely brushed style of Romanticism. In contrast, Adolphe Monticelli’s Scene Galante is a reprise of the light and frivolous rococo style, which David’s Neo-Classical narratives replaced.

Carravaggio

(Italian, 1571–1610)

Bernini

(Italian, 1598–1680)

Rembrandt

(Dutch, 1606–1669)

Jacques-Louis David

(French, 1748–1825)

Joseph Mallord William Turner

(British, 1775–1851)*

Van Gogh

(Dutch, 1853–1890)

Picasso

(Spanish, 1881–1973)

Rothko

(American, 1903–1970)


Carravaggio (Italian, 1571–1610) Bernini (Italian, 1598–1680) Rembrandt (Dutch, 1606–1669) Jacques-Louis David (French, 1748–1825) Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, 1775–1851)* Van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890) Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) Rothko (American, 1903–1970) This activity is made possible in part by a grant from WNET/PBS 13, New York, through PBS 8/WDSE, Duluth. Jacques-Louis David arrived on the scene as a young painter around the time King Louis XV died, and his grandson acceded the throne in 1775. The political and social reforms of the day in France included a drastic change in artistic direction. The shift is seen by comparing the frivolous 18th century Baroque or rococo paintings of Watteau, Fragonard and Boucher and the serious educational narratives of David and his many students, which came to be known as Neo-Classisism. This change in aesthetic sensibility paralleled the political unrest that signaled the beginnings of the French Revolution. David’s paintings were often construed as subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, critiques of the Monarchy, as French society evolved from maintaining three classes—nobles, clergy and commoners—into one citizenry of the new French Republic. At one point, David himself was imprisoned as a supporter of the Republic. One of his most famous late works, the Death of Marat, is reproduced in a print from the Tweed collection. David’s Neo-Classical style influenced many artists, including Jean-Francois Millet. The Tweed Museum’s The Disappointed Hunter of 1841 is among his finest early works, and this painting has been included in exhibitions around the world. In this painting, Millet blended classical references and academic techniques like David’s, with the looser, more freely brushed style of Romanticism. In contrast, Adolphe Monticelli’s Scene Galante is a reprise of the light and frivolous rococo style, which David’s Neo-Classical narratives replaced.