Neoclassicism, Revolution and Empire

The austere ideals of antiquity took on new force as France passed from monarchy to revolution and empire.

Even before the Revolution, taste had turned against the playfulness of the Rococo. The excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum and writings on Greek art awakened a new admiration for antiquity. Architects such as Jacques-Germain Soufflot and Claude-Nicolas Ledoux built in severe, geometric forms. In painting Jacques-Louis David became the leading figure. His Oath of the Horatii of 1784 showed brothers swearing to die for their country, an image of duty and self-sacrifice that would soon take on political meaning.

The Revolution of 1789 changed the conditions of art. David became a revolutionary and painted martyrs such as Marat. The Salon was opened to all artists in 1791, and the Academy was abolished in 1793. That same year the Louvre opened as a public museum, filled with art from the king, the Church and the nobility. At the same time countless churches, tombs and royal monuments were destroyed. The term vandalism was coined to describe the destruction and to call for the protection of the cultural heritage.

Napoleon Bonaparte seized power in 1799 and was crowned emperor in 1804. He used art as Louis XIV had done, to build his image. David, Antoine-Jean Gros and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres painted him as hero and ruler. The architects Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine created the Empire style, with gilt bronze, mahogany and motifs from Rome and Egypt. The style spread with Napoleon's armies and reached Sweden with Marshal Bernadotte, who became Swedish crown prince in 1810.

• David and the Oath of the Horatii
• The queen's painters – Vigée Le Brun and Wertmüller
• The Death of Marat and the images of the Revolution
• Visionary architects – Soufflot, Ledoux and Boullée
• Napoleon and the imperial style