napoleon bonaparte and the transition to romanticism

Napoleon Bonaparte

and the Transition from Neoclassicism to Romanticism

Installation of the Conseil d'Etat (Council of

State) by the First Consul Napoleon

Bonaparte at the Petit Luxembourg, in

Paris (France). In December 1799.

When the Reign of Terror ended Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power

http://www.gettyimages.com/pictures/napoleon-bonaparte-75877

Jacques Louis David, The Emperor

Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries,

1812

National Gallery of Art

He was elected First Consul of the newly formed French Republic in 1799,

and from 1804-1815 he reigned as emperor of one of the greatest empires

in history

http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg56/gg56-46114.html



1812


Many of the leading artists in France were commissioned to create

artworks glorifying the emperor, and their works ushered in a transition

from Neoclassicism to Romanticism




1812


Jacques Louis David was one of the first to receive commissions from the

new leader


Jacques Louis David, The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, 1812


Gilbert Stuart, Portrait of George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796

Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery

In this portrait he depicts Napoleon as a noble hero of the nation — a kind

of French counterpart to the American President George Washington


http://www.georgewashington.si.edu/portrait/index.html

Dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guard, he is shown in his office,

working late at night (judging by the candles, and the time on the clock: it’s

4:15)

The Code Napoléon (his

famous law code) can be

seen rolled up on the table



1812


David explained that his appearance (his hair is disheveled, his cuffs

are unbuttoned, and his leggings are wrinkled) was designed to show

that Napoleon had spent the night in his study composing the

Napoleonic Code


Jacques Louis David, The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, 1812


Antoine Francois Callet, Portrait of Louis XVI, 1780

The painting is meant to provide a stark contrast to traditional portraits of

the French Monarchy, dispensing with pomp and ceremony, and replacing

it with an image of a hard working and virtuous leader of the people


Jacques Louis David,

Napoleon at Saint-Bernard

Pass, 1801

Kunsthistorisches Museum,

Vienna

David continued to serve Napoleon as his political image was

transformed into a larger-than-life Romantic hero



Pass, 1801


Vienna

Recalling the equestrian portraits of European Monarchs, and

of the Roman Emperors that preceded them, David shows

Napoleon on a rearing horse crossing the Alps at Saint

Bernard pass



Pass, 1801


Vienna

His great red cloak billows in the wind as he points upward in

a gesture that captures the spirit of unlimited aspiration



Pass, 1801


Vienna

No longer a noble leader of the people, Napoleon has been

transformed into a Romantic hero of outsized proportions



Pass, 1801


Vienna

Of course, the picture is a theatrical exaggeration of what

actually took place



Pass, 1801


Vienna

Napoleon actually crossed the pass on a donkey, wearing a

simple grey greatcoat, rather than the magnificent costume

pictured here



Pass, 1801


Vienna

But David has skillfully elevated this more prosaic event to

something more Romantic and grand, placing Napoleon on a

par with the conquerors of antiquity, namely Hannibal and

Charlemagne, whose names appear carved into the rocks in

the foreground

Jacques Louis David, Coronation of Napoleon, 1804

Louvre

In 1804 Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor in Notre Dame de Paris,

and Jacque Louis David was commissioned to commemorate the event in a

grandly scaled canvas

Dressed in full regalia, the emperor holds the crown aloft, while the Pope and

clergy give their blessing

Following in the footsteps of Charlemagne, who had been crowned Holy

Roman Emperor by the Pope in 800 AD, Napoleon has returned to the French

tradition of Monarchy, allied with the support of the Catholic Church

Antoine Gros,

Napoleon on the

Bridge at Arcole,1796

After Napoleon became Emperor he called upon a new

generation of artists to visualize the Napoleonic legend

Antoine Gros,

Napoleon on the


They forged a new dramatic style that came to be known as

Romanticism

Antoine Gros,

Napoleon on the


Antoine-Jean Gros was a student of David’s, but he pioneered a

new style that led to a new direction in art

Baron Antoine-Jean Gros, Napoleon Bonaparte Visiting the Plague-Stricken in Jaffa, 1804, oil on canvas, 209 x 280 inches (Musée du Louvre, Paris)

This painting depicts an episode from one of Napoleon’s campaigns in Syria


An outbreak of plague had stricken his troops, and Napoleon hoped to stem

the rising tide of panic by visiting some of the plague-stricken victims in

person


It was one of those “photo-ops” that politicians know how to manipulate (the

President visiting troops on Christmas, or paying a personal visit to families

hit hard by disaster) — and Gros knew how to milk it for all it was worth!


Painted on an enormous scale (17 ft high by 23 ft wide), Gros shows the

Emperor in a Mosque courtyard, surrounded by sick and dying men, and

figures in exotic Middle Eastern dress

Undaunted by the horror of the scene, the Emperor reaches out to touch the

open sore of one of the victims, making him appear like a Christ-like figure

with miraculous powers of healing

The gesture is based on traditional images of Doubting Thomas, where

Thomas reaches out to touch Christ’s wound to verify that it is real

To amplify the Emperor’s courage and compassion, the soldier behind him

holds a handkerchief to his nose to shield himself from the sickening smell


Of course none of this was true: in reality, Napoleon ordered the death of the

sickened prisoners, and he poisoned the infected soldiers


So Gros’ picture was a blatant work of propaganda, designed to promote the

Emperor’s public image as a compassionate ruler


So what makes this painting Romantic?


Gros’s pictures anticipates the characteristics of Romanticism in several ways


First of all, the exotic setting (the scene takes place in a Muslim Mosque)

evokes a mysterious mood that contrasts with the clarity and simplicity of

Neoclassicism


The lighting also creates a mysterious atmosphere, with its mood-enhancing

shadows, and dramatic spotlight effects


There is also a morbid fascination with the dead and dying victims that goes

against Neoclassicism’s emphasis on virtue and nobility


And finally, there is the style: in contrast to David’s polished finish, crisp

outlines, and balanced compositions, Gros’ work breaks with all of these

cardinal rules of Neoclassicism. All of this anticipated the new, revolutionary

style of Romanticism, that became a leading force in the 19th century

napoleon bonaparte and the transition to romanticism

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