Paintings: French school, the 19th century
In the context of a radically changing society, the early 19th century is dominated by David's heroic neo-classicism, contemporary with the affirmation of the Napoleonian power. The rivalry between Ingres' aestheticising neo-classicism and Delacroix's unbridled romanticism succeed it, while the softness of Corot's paintings somehow prefigures the impressionism.