Jacques-Louis David

In Paris, France, on August 30, 1748, Jacques-Louis David was born. When he was nine, his father died, and his mother often left him with his uncles. These uncles sent him to the College des Quatre-Nations for an education, but David was a poor student. He was usually drawing and not paying attention to his professors. His family did not want him becoming an artist; in fact, they wanted him to become an architect. Eventually, David won that argument, then studied under Francois Boucher and later Joseph-Marie Vien.
In 1782, he married Marguerite Pecoul. Shortly after they married, the French Revolution started. David fully supported Maximilien de Robespierre; but after his fall from power, David was imprisoned.

After being released, David would later come to met Napoleon I. He would become Napoleon's official painter, and witnessed his coup d'état. After Napoleon fell in 1815, David was exiled to Brussels, Belgium, where he would later die.

David had an enormous influence over the world at the time. He actually personally signed the death warrants for King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

David did most of his work through paint. Several of his works include Diana and Apollo Piercing Niobe's Children with their Arrows, The Death of Socrates, and Napoleon in His Study. Personally, I enjoy Mars Being Disarmed by Venus.

In 1825, David would die in Belgium. Because he helped in King Louis XVI's execution,David was not allowed to be buried in France, and so he was buried at Evere Cemetery in Brussels. His heart, however, was buried at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.