General Étienne-Maurice Gérard (1773–1852)

David was considered the most influential painter of the Neoclassical movement in France, characterized by a style of austere and ethical painting that reflects the moral climate of the last years of the ancien régime. He became an active revolutionary and worked for the new French Republic. He was then attracted to Napoleon I and developed an Empire style marked by warm Venetian color. Following the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1816, David went into exile in Brussels. He had a large number of pupils, and his influence was felt by the majority of French 19th-century painters. His compositional innovations were a break with the existing Rococo fantasy. Comment on works: Portraits: History.