You probably know about the myth of Oedipus and, beyond him killing his
father and marrying his mother, he also had to confront a sphinx. At the city of Thebes,
Oedipus met the terrifying creature which devoured any traveller who couldn’t solve
her riddle. He either had to solve the riddle or die to the sphinx. This trial,
in the story of Oedipus, serves to display the hero’s wisdom and intelligence.
But, of course, we know this is a legend, that Oedipus is a hero,
a creation, a myth. But what happens when these myths are
paralleled with reality? What happens when historical figures become mythical?
Napoléon Bonaparte was one of those popular mythologized figures all
throughout the 19th century, even decades after his death.
In 1886, Jean-Léon Gérôme depicted Napoléon in front of Egypt’s Sphinx,
during his invasion of Egypt. Napoléon is out for greatness,
greatness for an emperor that is, conquering and expanding the French empire out of Europe.
Facing the sphinx, just like Oedipus did, is a necessary trial before making history.
Another artist who also famously depicted the myth of Oedipus and the
sphinx is Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Like many artists of his generation,
Ingres also depicted Napoléon in his 1806 Napoleon I on His Imperial Throne.
It’s an extremely different portrait from Gérôme’s painting. Not only is it making
a myth out of Napoléon, Ingres is representing him like he would a god. For example, in 1811,
the artist would reproduce the pose for a depiction of Jupiter.
The painting is extremely imposing, measuring 259 by 162 cm. It idealizes and,
most importantly, venerates Napoléon, making him the Emperor not only through his title,
but through his representation. He is elevated,
richly draped and surrounded by eagles; eagles being a strong representation of empires,
going as far back to the Roman empire and, later, the United-States and Nazi Germany.
Napoléon was also deified, in some way, in a painting Antoine-Jean Gros’ made in 1804 titled
Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Stricken in Jaffa. Napoléon’s image was starting to get tarnished
as he had to retreat from his Syrian expedition. Rumors were saying that he had ordered 50 of his
plague-infected soldiers to be executed. Napoleon is reaching out, heroically and selflessly,
to a man infected with the plague. His officers try to stop him, but Napoleon,
in a sudden burst of empathy, gets in contact with his subjects. This could, of course,
be paralleled with the myth of Jesus touching and healing a leper, even though his disciples advise
him otherwise. This depiction of Napoleon was made explicitly to win public opinion, to have
the French population believe that he wouldn’t murder people with the plague. This depiction
gave Napoleon humanity, but this humanity was paradoxically dressed with messianic qualities.
Another famous depiction of Napoleon as an emperor is Jacques-Louis David’s The Coronation
of Napoleon, commemorating the accumulation of power in the hands of the new Emperor. It was
commissioned by the emperor himself, David being his personal painter. It’s a monumental scene,
this one measuring almost 10 meters wide, rendering the event in an almost life-sized scale.
You see Pope Pius VII, Joséphine, the emperor’s wife and, of course, Napoléon, holding the
crown he’s about to wear. Originally, David intended to portray Napoléon crowning himself,
but that could have been perceived as a bit authoritarian, so he went with this very strong
and composed posture. But this painting wasn’t only carefully crafted to make Napoleon likeable,
it also modified reality. Bending the truth for political reasons, especially in imagery,
has been a very effective way to control public perception. For example, the older brother of
the emperor, Joseph Bonaparte, didn’t attend the ceremony due to a fight with Napoléon,
but was still painted as if he did. More importantly, the emperor’s mother,
who is placed in a highly important position in the composition, also boycotted the ceremony.
Napoléon couldn’t afford such disorder and drama in his family to taint his
coronation ceremony. This was one of the many moments when he had to embody strength and
stability to the French people. He therefore preferred perceived strength to reality.
Lastly, we can finally take a look at the most famous depiction of Napoléon ever created:
Napoléon Crossing the Alps. It was also made by Jacques-Louis David in 1801 and,
of course, this picture is highly propagandistic.
It’s the depiction of Napoléon’s invasion of Italy which he courageously lead through the Great
St-Bernard Pass in Switzerland. He is shown here, epically mounted on his horse, battling fierce
wind, leading his men in rocky terrain. He carved, in the stone, his name next to History’s great
leaders: Hannibal and Charlemagne, both generals having lead troops through the alps. Napoléon is
positioning himself, through this portrait, among the greatest conquerors of history. He is calm and
confident although his horse is eager and the wind is blowing strong. David is showing the French
people, and the whole world really, how strong and courageous of a leader Napoléon really is.
But that was all fake. Once again,
Truth was traded for political gain, for power consolidation.
Paul Delaroche, another French artist, decided, in 1850, to recreate the scene in a more realistic
way; in conformity with what actually happened. Napoléon didn’t lead his troops through the Alps,
but followed them a couple of days after they crossed. Not only was he not leading,
he was being lead by a peasant who guided him. Perhaps most importantly,
Napoléon didn’t cross the Alps on horseback, but on a mule. This is
perhaps one of the biggest adjustments made by David in his original painting.
Portraying Napoléon on a fiery horse is much more awe-inspiring than picturing him on a mule.
Portraying historical, or even current, events to conserve and strengthen power has been used for
centuries. Napoléon, being a very successful war strategist, wasn’t only talented on the war field;
he also had amazing abilities when it came to fight ideological wars. He
understood the importance of manipulating the masses through either text or image;
he understood the importance of propaganda. Napoleon was able to bend the truth to create
a heroic image of himself, to create a following that would venerate him even after his death.
He did all of this, partly with the help of art.
I often find myself believing that political art is about challenging power systems,
to rethink and reshape social hierarchies,
but we can’t let ourselves forget that art can also sometimes bolster power and,
for example, help create emperors. As art enthusiasts, we must remain vigilant.