Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps, 1801, oil on canvas
Napoleon Crossing the Alps, was painted in 1801 by Jacques-Louis David. Napoleon Crossing the Alps is often critiqued as a dramatic, and lifeless work of art marking the end of David’s free artistic career and the beginning of his career as Napoleon’s official portraitist. However, David’s portrait of Napoleon Crossing the Alps is one of the most politically successful and arguably important works of Napoleon ever made. On the cusp of a new century, David was commissioned and completed the painting in four months.
A decade after Revolution, France began to claim its authority once more. A general at the time, Napoleon Bonaparte was a central piece of the revival. Napoleon executed a coup d’état and claimed the role as first Consul, becoming the most powerful man in France. Napoleon announced himself as emperor a few years later. On May 1800, Napoleon would lead his military campaign through the Alps and defeated the Australians in the Battle of Marengo. Napoleon’s portrait was commissioned by the king of Spain Charles IV to depict his military success. David’s painting was to be housed in a painting gallery alongside portraits of notable military leaders at the Royal Place of Madrid.
When creating the composition for his commission, Napoleon understood the importance of imagery and how to display an effective propagandist piece. Although he refused to sit for his portrait he did give David careful instructions how he wished to be depicted. Napoleon wanted an equestrian portrait that as he put it was “calme sur un cheval fougueux” or calm on a fiery horse.David faithfully preformed the task. The effect: a demonstration of Napoleon as a wielder of power and holder of strategic judgement with a calm demeanor. Despite the heroic scene shown, Napoleon did not in reality lead his troops through the Alps. He actually followed his troops four days later while traveling on a donkey. Desiring a more prestigious depiction, Napoleon requested an equestrian scene. Most equestrian portraits were associated with royal personage. Napoleon appears to be a person of royal authority riding on the back of a rearing stallion. In front of Napoleon is a large mountain and behind him are French troops, dressed in French colors, transporting a large canon. Napoleon, consuming most of the composition, points up to the mountain his troops will soon cross.
The leader’s outstretched arm and the billowing cape he adorns seems to echo the scene around him. Subtle diagonals in Napoleon’s arm, the mountain and the clouds behind him stabilize his figure. The landscape he occupies resembles a setting for a stage more than a natural landscape. In the foreground, a rock nearby displays the names of important leaders that led troops through the Alps. Names included on the rock are Napoleon, Hannibal and Charlemagne. The portrait celebrates Napoleon as a monumental figure that demands recognition and glory for centuries to come.
