Bonaparte on the Bridge at Arcole

Gros was filled with enthusiasm for the events of the Napoleonic era, for he was just 18 when the revolution broke out. This and Bonaparte’s rise to imperial power were to be the formative influences on his work. In 1797, when Napoleon was still a general, he gave the young Gros his first commission. It was Bonaparte on the Bridge at Arcole. On 17 November 1796 Napoleon led his troops in the battle at Arcole and he won in three days.

In the dynamic handling of the subject, all traces of David’s Neoclassicism have gone. Seeing himself depicted as full of stormy energy, but determined and controlled as well, Napoleon must have felt flattered.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 38 minutes):

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony in C Major (Jupiter-Symphony) K 551