Portrait of Jacques Louis David 1824

This is Jérôme-Martin Langlois’s portrait of Jacques Louis David, a painting now held in the Louvre. Langlois, born in 1779, paints David, who was born in 1748, as an elder statesman, a man towards the end of his life, holding a pencil and a sketch book. It’s impossible to consider the life and work of David without acknowledging the French Revolution. David actively participated in the Revolution, signing Louis XVI’s death warrant and becoming a member of the radical Jacobin club. Following the Thermidorian reaction and the fall of Robespierre, David was imprisoned, as his intimate involvement in the Revolution made him an easy target for retribution. This portrait, made after the Revolution, gives us a glimpse into the complex relationship between art, politics, and personal identity. One wonders about the toll the Revolution took on David. Langlois captures not only the physical likeness of David, but also hints at the weight of history and experience etched onto his face.