| Jacques-Louis
David (1748 -1825) introduced the neoclassical style in France. David was
born in Paris and was influenced by classical art, especially the17th-century
French painter Nicolas Poussin. David used ancient subjects and based his
forms and gestures on Roman sculpture. His famous Oath of the Horatii
emphasized dramatic lighting, ideal forms, and gestural clarity. It
became the principal model for noble and heroic historical painting for
the next two decades. After 1789, David adopted a realistic style to depict
contemporary scenes of the French Revolution. In his later years he returned
to mythological subjects and painted in a more theatrical manner.
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