Course overview

As the French celebrate Bastille Day on 14th July, we will explore the dynamic relationship between art and political upheaval during the final decades of the 18th century in France up to 1830. From the twilight of the Ancien Régime to the rise of Napoleon, we will examine how artists such as Jacques-Louis David, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, and Adelaide Labille-Guiard responded to and shaped the revolutionary moment. Through paintings (some very famous, such as David’s Death of Marat), prints, and visual propaganda, we’ll consider how art functioned as a tool of persuasion, resistance, and reinvention. The session will also explore shifting artistic styles, including the decline of Rococo and the rise of Neoclassicism within a rapidly transforming society.

Course description

This session examines the turbulent intersection of art and politics during one of the most transformative periods in French history. Spanning the final years of the Ancien Régime through the height of revolutionary fervour and into the early rise of Napoleon, we will explore how visual culture both reflected and shaped the revolutionary imagination. Key figures such as Jacques-Louis David, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Adélaide Labille-Guiard, and Hubert Robert will guide our study, as we investigate how artists navigated shifting allegiances, censorship, and the demand for politically charged imagery.

We’ll consider the stylistic transition from Rococo to Neoclassicism as not merely aesthetic, but deeply ideological part of a broader cultural realignment toward republican values and moral virtue. The session will also explore revolutionary iconoclasm: the destruction of royal and religious symbols, and how this erasure made way for new forms of public art and commemoration.

A key moment in this visual transformation was the opening of the Louvre as a public museum in 1793, symbolising both the democratisation of art and the repurposing of aristocratic collections for the nation. Through artworks, political prints, and cultural policy, we’ll uncover how art was mobilised as a force of both destruction and reconstruction in Revolutionary France.

Finally, as a conclusion we will study Delacroix’s Liberty Guiding the People (1830) and see how it expresses the revolutionary ideals.

What financial support is available?

We don't want anything to stand in your way when it comes to bringing Adult learning within reach so if you need anything to support you to achieve your goals then speak to one of our education experts during your enrolment journey. Most of our courses are government funded but if you don't qualify or need alternative financial help to access them then let us know.

What other support is available?

All of our digital content, teaching and learning activities and assessments are designed to be accessible so if you need any additional support you can discuss this with the education experts during your enrolment journey and we will do all we can to make sure you have optimal access.

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