The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of Empress Joséphine
Introduction
The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of Empress Joséphine is one of the greatest artworks of Jacques Louis David, a prominent French painter of the 18th century. Louis David did this painting between 1804 and 1807 to mark the turning back of France from a republic into a monarchy (TripImprover, 2019). Louis David drew the painting in the request of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was being crown as the first emperor of France on December 2, 1804. In size, the painting measures 979cm x 621cm, and it is shown below:
The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of Empress Joséphine (Weartxbox, n.d)
Relationship between the painting and the ceremony
The artwork is a fair presentation of the events that happened during the coronation of the emperor. At the center of the picture is the chief dignitary, Napoleon. He is standing in the middle, and he is ready to crown his wife, Josephine, as the new empress (TripImprover, 2019). The emperor has put on coronation robes. Other people presented in the painting include Napoleon’s brothers, the painter himself, among others. The picture captures the moment all the subjects are not on their smiles, which signified the importance of the event. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Accurateness
I believe that David never presented the event accurately in the painting. According to him, he had initially wanted to portray the event correctly but later changed his mind. As a seasoned painter, David would have captured everything that was taking place in the ceremony and present them exactly as they are in the painting. Although he managed to capture all the 204 faces, he did not capture significant events such as Napoleon crowing himself.
Changes
David could have knowingly made changes to several items in the event, including the self-consecration of Napoleon and the audience. Instead of capturing Napoleon’s coronation by himself, David featured Josephine’s coronation by Napoleon. He also depicted people who were way, including Napoleon’s mother, Letizia Bonaparte. David admitted making these changes in the painting to avoid bringing disrespect to the Pope and the emperor’s family.
Artist’s message
Coronation of Empress Joséphine was meant to have both political and symbolic messages. The first message that the emperor wanted to pass through the artist is the glorification of his coronation as the new emperor. The painting signified the glorious moment Napoleon took power from his predecessor. The symbolic message that is depicted by the painting is the togetherness of the empire under the new leadership of Napoleon.
References
TripImprover (2019). “The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David.”
tripimprover.com Accessed from https://www.tripimprover.com/the-coronation-of-napoleon-by-jacques-louis-david.
Weartxbox. (n.d). “‘The coronation of Napoleon’: the analysis of the paintings of David.”
weartsbox.com. Accessed from https://weartsbox.com/magazine/426.