A Study of Waves breaking against Rocks at Sunset

67: A Study of Waves breaking against Rocks at Sunset

Baron François Gérard
Rome 1770 - 1837 Paris

Private collection
Rights held by: Private collection

Born and raised in Rome by a French father and Italian mother, Gérard returned to Paris with his family around 1782 and entered the studio of Jacques-Louis David. His prestige as a portrait painter brought him in contact with many of the most celebrated and influential figures of the day, while his political skills helped earn him titles from both Emperor Napoleon and Louis XVIII. The weekly salons he held periodically throughout his life earned him both respect and notoriety among romantic authors, poets, and artists in Paris, including Eugène Delacroix.

Text written and researched by Michelle Bird National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

Oil on millboard
31.2 × 38.5 cm