Pierre Guérin, 1774-1833

Of all the painters who dominated the French scene at the beginning of the 19th century, Pierre Guérin is the least known. The evolution of history painting from the Directoire to the July Monarchy cannot, however, be understood without this key artist, who was the bridge between the modernity of David, which he transformed by assimilating it, and that of the Romantic painters he trained.

To David's painting of ideas, Guérin opposes a painting of feelings which, through classical history, questions the tragic condition of man and, in fact, finds an echo in the exacerbated sensitivity of the post-revolutionary era.

This monograph retraces the life and work of Guérin, an artist who embodies all the paradoxes of an era in rupture.