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Jacques Louis David was born into the family of a wealthy Parisian merchant . When he was a child his father died after a pistol duel. David's two uncles, François Buron and Jacques- François Desmaisons who were both architects and building contractors, took care of the his upbringing. First he was educated at a boarding school and the Collège des Quatre Nations in Paris. When he decided on the career of an artist his uncles helped him to become a student of Joseph-Marie Vien, a professor at the Academy who had a reputation as a good teacher. David greeted the French Revolution and from 1789 he actively participated in political life. In 1791 he was elected a deputy of the Convention from Paris. He voted for the death of Louis XVI in 1793 and supported Robespierre's and the left radicals' regime; David was a member of the Committee of Public Safety and artistic director of the great national fêtes founded on classical customs. After the 9 Termidor (27 July) 1794 coup, when Robespierre and his closest supporters were overthrown and executed by the temporary coalition of both left- and right-wing moderates in the Convention, David was arrested twice and narrowly escaped with his life. His political career ended, but his artistic career revived. The most prominent work of the second half of the 1790s In 1797 he met Napoleon and was granted a single portrait sitting, during which David did not manage to paint much, but was absolutely captivated by Napoleon's personality. Later on David created many paintings devoted to his new hero and his relatives