Born in what’s now the Netherlands, he trained in Italy. Soon after his return to northern Europe he settled in Bruges.
David
A landscape, Roman history, Orientalism, a scene from Scott’s Ivanhoe, a crucifixion, and more scenes from Byron.
Overview of David’s Neoclassicism, his teacher Guérin, the influence of Constable and Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa, his friends, and rival Ingres.
Examples of putting figures in the spotlight from paintings of Tiepolo, David, Goya, Gérôme, Thomas Eakins, and others.
With Achilles out of the war, the Trojan army takes on the Greek expeditionary force. Under the leadership of Hector, it gets the upper hand and puts the Greeks into retreat.
The origins of Troy explained, Helen as a princess of Troy, and Menelaos raises an expeditionary force under the command of Agamemnon. Without wind, though, their ships can’t sail.
Zeus, disguised as a gander, raped Nemesis, who laid Helen as an egg. She became step-sister of Castor and Polydeuces, and went on to be abducted by Paris as Aphrodite’s bribe.
The meaning of one arm raised depends on the position of the fingers: is it an index finger pointing to heaven, or a sign of benediction?
An overview starting with the sculptural folds of the late 13th century, peaking with Raphael and Rembrandt, and dissolving with Renoir and Sargent in the early 20th century.
David’s Neoclassicism brought uniformity and lack of surface texture. Romanticism followed, with garments dissolving into brushstrokes.
The Eclectic Light Company 