How did Jacques-Louis David’s years in Italy influence his artistic style?

Jacques-Louis David’s years in Italy were transformative, shifting his artistic focus from the Rococo style of his early career toward the rigorous principles of Neoclassicism.

Upon arriving in Italy after winning the Prix de Rome in 1774, David initially absorbed the influences of the Bolognese school, the classicism of Nicolas Poussin, and the dramatic realism of Caravaggio, showing a particular affinity for the latter’s use of light and shade.

However, his perspective changed significantly through exposure to Neoclassical doctrines promoted by figures like Anton Raphael Mengs and Johann Joachim Winckelmann. By visiting archaeological sites such as Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the temples at Paestum, David experienced a profound shift in vision, which he later described as being operated on for a cataract. This immersion in antiquity led him to adopt the austere, heroic, and linear style that defined his most famous works, characterized by monumental settings, clear profiles, and a rejection of Baroque turbulence.123