Artwork
San Giovanni Laterano and a Baptistry
San Giovanni Laterano and a Baptistry is a chalk drawing by the Neoclassicist artist Jacques-Louis David. It dates from 1778 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
San Giovanni Laterano and a Baptistry is a drawing by Jacques-Louis David, executed in 1778 using black chalk and gray wash on laid paper. The work depicts a monumental architectural scene.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing represents a religious building, specifically identified as San Giovanni Laterano, featuring a prominent central archway flanked by smaller arches, columns, and topped by a flat roof with a small dome. The structure's grandeur and solemn atmosphere suggest it may also represent or include a baptistry.
Technique & Style
David employed chiaroscuro, leveraging the contrast between black chalk outlines and gray wash to create a sense of depth and volume, guiding the viewer's eye into the composition.
History & Provenance
Created in 1778, the drawing's provenance history is not detailed here, focusing instead on its creation by Jacques-Louis David during this period.
Context
While the piece itself does not embody the expressive qualities of Romanticism, its emphasis on architectural grandeur and emotional depth might have influenced or paralleled the development of Romantic ideals in art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacques-Louis David was born in Paris on 30 August 1748 into a bourgeois family; his father died in a duel when the boy was nine, and a maternal uncle guided his education.
The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries
Madame David
The Death of Socrates
Portrait of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and his wife
Cupid and Psyche
General Étienne-Maurice Gérard (1773–1852), Marshal of France
The Distribution of the Eagle Standards
Coronation of Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine
Villa Medici
Roman Rooftops
The Pantheon Seen from the Piazza
Piazza with an Equestrian Monument and a Palace
The Round Temple on the Piazza Bocca della Verità, Rome
A Roman Street with Monte Cavo in the Distance
A Building on a Hill with Saint Peter's in the Distance
The Pantheon
The Roman Circus near Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
Roman View
Villa d'Este, Tivoli
The Capitoline Hill