Jacques-Louis David: Empire to Exile

 
French art historian Bordes has with this book made a contribution to our understanding of David's place in art history. He reappraises the later career of David, who achieved early fame with icons of classicism, such as The Death of Socrates (1787). David's politics provoked controversy: a radical member of the National Convention that condemned Louis XVI, David eventually muted his revolutionary credentials and “made every effort to be designated team captain” of Napoleon's art patronage. Whatever his motivations, David became the leading court painter. Bordes examines David's paintings and drawings of 1800-1825. How the images are regarded today and their past critical reputations occupy Bordes' scholarly passages, while his biographical chapters are informative. Technically the most superior images of Napoleon from life, David's paintings of the dictator are the main attraction.