Jacques-Louis David
Art in Metamorphosis
Dorothy Johnson(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 19. December 1993
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-0-691-03218-4 (ISBN)
Description
Painted just before the French Revolution, David's "Oath of the Horatii" radically challenged the dominant rococo style by emphasizing the representation of psychological states through the entire body rather than through the face alone. In these essays on David's modernity, Dorothy Johnson examines the aesthetic innovations that shaped a career attuned to intellectual as well as political change. Focusing on the painter's writings and on topics such as his life-long experimentation with corporality, his inquiry into the nature of representation, his reinterpretations of mythology, and his application of the theory and language of sculpture to his art, Johnson rejects oversimplified categorizations of David as a neoclassicist and positions him as an important link in the development of romanticism.
Reviews / Votes
This book makes an intelligent, thought-provoking contribution to the growing body of scholarly literature about the art and personality of Jacques-Louis David. ChoiceMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
8 color illustrations, 139 halftones
Dimensions
Height: 267 mm
Width: 178 mm
Weight
936 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-03218-4 (9780691032184)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Dorothy Johnson is Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Iowa. With Jacques de Caso she translated his book David d'Angers: Sculptural Communication in the Age of Romanticism (Princeton).
Content
List of Illustrations I The Eloquent Body: "Gestes sublimes" and the Formation of a Corporal Aesthetic II Painting Words and Deeds: The Grands Hommes and the Representation of Revolution III The Art of Civilization: The Sabine Women and Leonidas at Thermopylae IV "In borrowed robes?" From Homage to Subversion in the Napoleonic Paintings V Art in Exile: The Instauration of Romantic Hellenism Notes Select Bibliography Index