First Consul Crossing the Alps at the Saint Bernard Pass by Jacques-Louis David

The First Consul Crossing the Alps at the Saint Bernard Pass is a painting by Jacques-Louis David. The canvas depicts the future Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, on horseback during the famous victorious campaign. With his right hand, he points to the goal – the conquest of Italy. The left hand, dressed in a richly decorated white glove, tensely grips the reins.

The face does not show concern. With tightly compressed lips and feverishly burning eyes, it is full of severity and determination. The coloring of the picture is added by a furious, rearing horse and a bright yellow cloak fluttering in the wind, covering the blue uniform of the General of the Republic. Unnatural posture and theatrical grandeur evoke a feeling of pathos and arrogance.

Name of the painting: “First Consul Crossing the Alps at the St. Bernard Pass”
Author: Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825).
Year of writing: 1801
Dimensions: 261 x 220 cm.
Style: Classicism. Romanticism. Empire.
Genre: Equestrian portrait. Historical scene.
Technique: Oil.
Material: Canvas.
Location: Malmaison, Paris.

Jacques-Louis David – the most prominent French artist of the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries

Inspired by antiquity and political ideas, he created works filled with passion and expression, appealed to his contemporaries and glorified heroes. A whole series of works is dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte in his work. The painting “First Consul Crossing the Alps at the Saint Bernard Pass” was commissioned for the Spanish King Charles IV, who turned out to be one of the few supporters of France, and became the first completed work in this series. But the master had to face an unforeseen difficulty.

After posing for three hours, Napoleon suggested that the artist finish the painting from memory, adding: “No one is interested in portrait resemblance. It is enough to portray character and genius. David correctly understood the main message of the first consul and in four months – from October 1800 to January 1801, he created an idealized image of the future emperor of France. The rider on a horse looks like a grandiose antique statue and subjugates the entire space of the composition. The rearing animal and the drapery of the cloak set the diagonal and the rhythm, the sky and mountains repeat it.

The viewer’s gaze is involuntarily focused on the figure of the protagonist. The significance of the character is also reinforced by the inscriptions. The names of two other great generals of the past, Hannibal and Charlemagne, carved on stones, link their passage through the Alps with Napoleon’s maneuver. This is no longer just a commander, but the arbiter of the fate of the world. In comparison with him, the figures of soldiers climbing up the mountain in the background look negligible.

In order to please the ideal, David departed from the reliability of the image. According to the descriptions of contemporaries, the weather during the campaign was good, the movement was carried out on undersized submissive mules, and Bonaparte was helped by local guides. But the dashing, energetic horse and extreme conditions, according to the author, were better suited to create a heroic image.