Loveless Disarming Himself

Jacques-Louis DavidWW-1819-061940

1819·Lithograph in black on white wove paper·25.7 × 39.4 cm (10 1/8 × 15 9/16 in.)

<p>The satirical target of this unruly lithograph is Jacques-Louis David’s final history painting, <em>Mars Disarmed by Venus and the Three Graces</em> (1824; Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Brussels). The god of war in David’s composition has been transformed into a weary French officer, the nubile goddesses into prostitutes pilfering his battle gear, and the classical, cloud-borne couch into a cheap brothel. As an additional insult, the sign at right offers “Bierre de Mars,” a spring brew rumored to inspire military volunteers.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1819
Medium: Lithograph in black on white wove paper
Dimensions: 25.7 × 39.4 cm (10 1/8 × 15 9/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Jacques-Louis David

Artist

Jacques-Louis David

Painting

Jacques-Louis David was a French painter whose large-scale historical compositions established neoclassicism as the dominant aesthetic of late 18th-century Europe. Working primarily in oil on canvas, he depicted classical and revolutionary subjects with austere draftsmanship, restrained color, and an emphasis on moral clarity and civic virtue. His work shaped the visual culture of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, influencing generations of academic painters across Europe.

Paris, France

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