Pomp
vs. Practicality
New Orleans Exhibit Pits Napoleon Against Thomas Jefferson
By John Christian Hoyle |
|
|
N E W O R L E A N S, May 30
— Two hundred years ago, the size of the United States doubled
overnight when two starkly different men signed the Louisiana Purchase,
a deal that paved the way for an expansive America. To commemorate this
bicentennial, the New Orleans Museum of Art is presenting "Jefferson's
America & Napoleon's France." The exhibition, the largest in
the museum's history, contrasts the lives of the two men responsible
for engineering the unprecedented land deal, Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon
Bonaparte.
On view are more than 260 works of art, furniture, documents, ornate
weaponry, jewellery, and Native American objects from America and France
in 1803 on loan from by more than 100 museums and private lenders.
"Both Jefferson and Napoleon were preoccupied with how their visions
of nation would be given concrete expression in art," says Gail
Feigenbaum, the exhibition's curator. "The imperial grandeur of
Napoleon's portraits next to the sober, republican portrayals of Jefferson
drive home an unforgettable lesson in the power and eloquence of images."
Driven by dreams of westward expansion, in 1803 Jefferson sent an envoy
to Paris to solicit Napoleon to sell the vital port city of New Orleans.
After pondering the proposal, Napoleon countered with a more fantastic
pitch. For $15 million, Napoleon would agree to sell all 900,000 square
miles of the Louisiana Territory. Historians say he was motivated largely
by the need to finance his vast European military ventures. Eventually,
the territory would become all or part of 17 states.
Two Men Concerned With Public Image
Although the exhibition does juxtapose the lives of these great men,
it does not try to judge the character of each man. For example, the
exhibition only briefly touches on Jefferson's ownership of slaves and
his alleged relationship with Sally Hemings.
What is clear from the exhibition is both men were immensely concerned
with public image, and paid deliberate attention to the way they were
represented in art. Jefferson sought to present himself as a man of
the people.
"When Jefferson was inaugurated president in 1801, the 'style'
of the American republic was a contested issue," Feigenbaum says.
"Jefferson pointedly rejected the pomp and elegance of his predecessor,
John Adams, as too reminiscent of hated monarchy." Portraits of
Jefferson portray strong images of reserved dignity with typical American
informality, as if to eschew the showiness of European monarchs.
In Rembrandt Peale's Portrait of Thomas Jefferson , the author of the
Declaration of Independence is presented as a man of thought, dressed
in leisurely attire. And in Gilbert Stuart's portrait, the president,
shown sitting at a desk, is idealized as an exemplar of republican virtues
and public service.
Napoleon, on the contrary, used art as propaganda in another way. He
employed artisans to promote his legitimacy and military supremacy.
Napoleon once declared, "The French love monarchy and all its trappings."
In Jacques-Louis David's legendary portrait, Napoleon Crossing the Alps
by the Great Bernard Pass , the commander is romantically depicted leading
his men into the treacherous pass riding a bucking white stallion. In
reality, he crossed the rocky pass on a mule.
Napoleon’s Ermine Robes
When he assumed the throne, the portraits he commissioned evoked images
associated with the emperor Charlemagne and Alexander the Great. In
Head of Napoleon as Emperor , David paints Napoleon crowned with a golden
laurel wreath, his body garbed in ermine robes. "As his rule became
more autocratic, he built and decorated on an increasingly lavish style,"
Feigenbaum notes.
Nowhere, however, is this stark contrast between the visual glories
of Napoleon's France and the practical simplicity of Jefferson's America
better manifested than in two chairs these leaders sat in while in power.
Napoleon's imperial ambitions are materialized in the form of a massive
golden throne. Winged lions shoot out to form the chair's arms. Its
back and seat cushions are upholstered in embroidered, plush red velvet.
And the throne is topped by a colossal crown.
On the other hand, Jefferson's utilitarian chair would not seem out
of place at a yard sale. This unusually tall easy chair has no ornate
design features, and it stands stiff and awkward — akin to Jefferson,
known for his unkempt hair and homely attire.
Three priceless documents that consummated the Louisiana Purchase are
also displayed together for the first time.
Also on display are priceless possessions of Napoleon's first wife,
Josephine. She helped reinvigorate France's luxury industries, which
had languished after the French Revolution. Her style became the rage
from Stockholm to New York. Through gifts and unbridled spending, she
acquired an unsurpassed collection of porcelain, glass, and silver that
made her table among history's most beautiful.
|
