Napoleon Bonaparte crossing the Alps at Grand Saint Bernard By Artist Jacques-Louis David (1748 - 1825) | ArtLiveAndBeauty

" Bonaparte at the Saint Bernard Pass " By Jacques-Louis David ,1801 

It is believed that this large painting by Jacques Louis David opened the era of romanticism in European painting. The portrait of Napoleon, who at that time was the first consul of the French Republic, is strongly idealized, and his composition is extremely theatrical. General Bonaparte is presented as a leader who defies nature.

Napoleon led the Army of Italy through the Alps' St. Bernard Pass in May 1800. For the first time in French art, the academic style, with painstaking attention to detail, light-and-shadow modeling of the form, the "smooth manner" of painting, and the subtlety of color relationships, organically merges with love content in this picture. In this scene, David takes on the role of the creator of a new aesthetic direction: romanticism.

David's apologetic iconography had a significant effect on the cultural image of Napoleon. In 1802, a replica of David's canvas was displayed in St. Petersburg. Several prints based on this artwork were created under the First Empire. Napoleon riding a rearing horse has been replicated in marble, bronze, porcelain, and even wood carvings.

" Bonaparte at the Saint Bernard Pass " By Jacques-Louis David ,1801 Oil on canvas. Size: 261 × 220 cm. Malmaison, Paris (private residence of Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Beauharnais)