Why did Jacques-Louis David emphasize drawing and contour in his teaching?

Jacques-Louis David emphasized drawing and contour in his teaching because he operated under the fundamental premise that the basis of art was the contour. This pedagogical approach, which he instilled in hundreds of students across Europe, significantly influenced the excessive focus on drawing that defined 19th-century European academic painting.1

By prioritizing line to depict form, David’s instruction aligned with the principles of disegno, a concept historically championed by the Poussinists who believed that drawing satisfied the mind, whereas color merely satisfied the eyes. While David’s own works occasionally utilized rich chromatic effects, his commitment to firm contours was a hallmark of his Neoclassical style, as seen in his influential work Oath of the Horatii.213