Jean-Pierre Saint-Ours, Date of Birth, Date of Death

Jean-Pierre Saint-Ours

Genevan artist

Date of Birth: 04-Apr-1752

Date of Death: 06-Apr-1809

Profession: painter, graphic artist, drawer

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Jean-Pierre Saint-Ours (4 April 1752 – 6 April 1809) was a Swiss painter from Geneva.
As well as relatively informal portraits, he specialized in ambitious history paintings of subjects from ancient, especially classical, history.
These are in a Neoclassical style, several with large groups of figures, inevitably drawing comparison with the works of his contemporary Jacques-Louis David, who was four years older.
But many of Saint-Ours's works are far smaller, if only because he lacked the commissions to realize them at the full sizes he intended.
His major compositions mostly exist as drawings with various degrees of finish, small painted versions and, if he received a commission, the full-size oil paintings, which can often be very large.
After the French Revolution, Saint-Ours returned to Geneva and entered politics, initially as a keen supporter of revolutionary ideas.
He later became disillusioned and returned to painting, now mainly as a portraitist of wealthy Genevans.