Page "Jacques-Louis David" Paragraph 3

David attempted to win the Prix de Rome, an art scholarship to the French Academy in Rome, five times.

At each failure he became increasingly frustrated with the Academy for denying him the prize, and this dissatisfaction sowed the seeds of a long-standing grudge against the institution.

Once, he lost according to legend because he had not consulted Vien, one of the judges.

Another time, he lost because a few other students had been competing for years, and Vien felt David's education could wait for these other mediocre painters.

In protest, he attempted to starve himself to death.

Finally, in 1774, David won the Prix de Rome.

Normally, he would have had to attend another school before attending the Academy in Rome, but Vien's influence kept him out of it.

He went to Italy with Vien in 1775, as Vien had been appointed director of the French Academy at Rome.

While in Italy, David observed the Italian masterpieces and the ruins of ancient Rome.

David filled twelve sketchbooks with material that he would derive from for the rest of his life.

He met the influential early neoclassical painter Raphael Mengs ( 1728 – 1779 ), and through Mengs was introduced to the pathbreaking theories of art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann ( 1717 – 1768 ).

While in Rome, he studied great masters, and came to favor above all others Raphael.

In 1779, David was able to see the ruins of Pompeii, and was filled with wonder.

After this, he sought to revolutionize the art world with the " eternal " concepts of classicism.