In Celebration of a Summer of Art –The Life of the Artist, this Summer Film series will highlight the lives of 3 well-known artists: Rothko, Jacques-Louis David, and Caravaggio.  From Simon Schama’s Power of Art, these films will be shown in there entirety.  Special thanks to Claire Reynolds and KEET-TV for providing this programming.

The Life of Jacques-Louis David ~

Born to a wealthy Parisian family, Jacques-Louis David was aged seven when his father was shot dead in a pistol duel. Brought up by his uncles, his desire was to paint and he was eventually sent to his mother's cousin, Francois Boucher, the most successful painter in France at the time.

Painting became an important means of communication for David since his face was slashed during a sword fight and his speech became impeded by a benign tumour that developed from the wound, leading him to stammer. He was interested in painting in a new classical style that departed from the frivolity of the Rococo period and reflected the moral and austere climate before the French Revolution.

David became closely aligned with the republican government and his work was increasingly used as propaganda with the Death of Marat proving his most controversial work.