Portrait of Firmin Didot (1823)

Anne-Louis Girodet: Portrait of Firmin Didot

One of Girodet's last works (he died the following year) was this delightful drawing of his friend Firmin Didot, a prominent typographer who invented the word "stereotype," which in its original sense didn't refer to making broad-brush judgments about a group of people but rather to how pages are set up for printing.

Pygmalion and Galatea (1819)

Anne-Louis Girodet: Pygmalion and Galatea

One of many artistic renderings of this Greek myth. This was, of course, the basis for 'My Fair Lady'.

Napoleon in Coronation Robes (ca. 1812)

Anne-Louis Girodet: Napoleon in Coronation Robes

The "N" stands for Narcissist, right?

Revolt in Cairo (ca. 1810)

Anne-Louis Girodet: Revolt in Cairo

A very melodramatic depiction of the Egyptian rebellion against French rule in 1798.

Portrait of Queen Hortense (1808)

Anne-Louis Girodet: Portrait of Queen Hortense

 This appears to be another portrait of this lady.

The Entombment of Atala (1808)

Anne-Louis Girodet: The Entombment of Atala

 A novella written in 1801 by the French writer Francois-René de Chateaubriand entitled Atala tells of the tragic love story of Chactas, a Natchez Indian and Atala the half-caste Christian daughter of Simagan, the chief of the Muscogees, an enemy Indian tribe, who had captured and sentenced Chactas to death.  Atala eventually frees him from captivity and they run away together.   They are helped by Père Aubry, a Christian missionary and hermit, who takes them to his cave and gives them refuge.   Atala falls in love with Chactas, but cannot marry him as she has taken a vow of chastity. In despair she takes poison.  Père Aubry assumes that she is merely ill, but in the presence of Chactas she reveals what she has done, and Chactas is filled with anger until the missionary tells them that in fact Christianity permits the renunciation of vows. They tend her, but she dies. [summary from my daily art display]

In the sunset, in a cave, the old hermit, Père Aubry, is supporting the corpse of the half-caste Atala. Chactas the Indian, stricken with grief, clings passionately to the young woman's knees. Atala, torn between her love for Chactas and the vow she took to remain a virgin and a Christian, committed suicide. With a crucifix clutched in her hand and the drapery of her dress clinging to her bust, she is both pure and sensual. After their all-night vigil, the two men will bury her in the cave. A verse from the Book of Job is carved on the cave wall: "When it is yet in flower, and is not plucked with the hand, it withereth before all herbs."

The exoticism, the defense of the innocence of primitive peoples and the religious sentiment that characterized the novel are all transposed into the picture. Girodet has not merely illustrated a single scene from Chateaubriand's novel, he has synthesized several passages. He has also forsaken the antique subjects dear to his master, David, for new subject matter: for Girodet, unlike David, painting no longer has a moral or political function. [above passages from the Louvre web site]

Napoleon receiving the keys to Vienna (1808)

Anne-Louis Girodet: Napoléon Receiving the Keys to Vienna 

at the Schloss Schönbrunn, 13 November 1805

This depicts an incident from Napoleon's 1805 Austrian campaign. Napoleon's victory in the Battle of Ulm led to the surrender of Vienna to his forces. A bulletin from the campaign relates the following:

The emperor has not yet received any of the authorities of Vienna, except a deputation of the different bodies of the city, who, on the day of his arrival, met him at Sigarts-Kirchen. They were composed of the Prince of Seuzendorf, the prelate of Seidenstetten, the Count of Veterani, the Baron of Kees, the Burgomaster of the city, M. de Wohebben, and General Burgeois.

His Majesty received them with much condescension, and told them they might assure the people of Vienna of his protection.

Girodet's painting is based on this incident. On the side of the Emperor are the Princes Murat and Neufchatel, Marshal Bessieres, and other officers. The background of the picture is a view of the entrance to Schönbrunn Palace. In the extreme distance, we see a splendid building, which is called  Gloriette.

Scene of the Flood (1806)

Anne-Louis Girodet: Scene of the Flood

This dramatic and unsettling painting won Girodet a prize at the Salon of 1806. This is not your usual painting of a Biblical scene - clearly straying into allegory, it seems to depict humanity's struggle to survive in a hostile world. The central figure of the man appears to be striving heroically to save others. Though Girodet's style was firmly rooted in Neoclassicism, this painting very much anticipates Romanticism in its naked emotional impact.

Ossian Receiving the Ghosts of French Heroes (1801)

The Neoclassic painter Anne-Louis Girodet painted this dense canvas entitled Ossian Receiving the Ghosts of French Heroes in 1801. The painting is also known as Apotheosis of French Heroes who died for their Country during the War of Freedom.

It's a bit puzzling why the "fallen French heroes" should be received by a blind Gaelic poet.  For some background, it's worth reading the Wikipedia article on Ossian. As it turns out, his very existence may be a hoax. But his purported works, published by one James MacPherson in 1760, received continent-wide acclaim in Europe. An opera based on the works was produced in Paris in 1804, enhancing the popularity of Ossian and his legend.

This painting has all the hallmarks of Neoclassic propaganda: heroic figures, adoring maidens, and tumult in the heavens.

Girodet has been featured here previously.

Benoît-Agnes Trioson (1800)

By Anne-Louis Girodet, this is Portrait of Benoît-Agnes Trioson. The portrait is of the son of Girodet's main patron; more can be read about the painting here (en Français).

Girodet was firmly rooted in the Neoclassic tradition. He was a student of Jacques-Louis David, generally considered the most prominent of the Neoclassicists. But his work clearly moved in the direction of Romanticism. Here is Girodet's self-portrait from 1790.

More about Girodet here.