Napoleon Crosses the Alps is also the title given to the five versions of the oil on canvas equestrian portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte painted by the French artist Jacques-Louis David between 1801 and 1805. Initially commissioned by the Spanish ambassador to France, the composition shows a highly idealized vision of the royal crossing that Napoleon and his army made across the Alps via the Great St. Bernard Pass in May 1800. Napoleon meets for me as a leader in many different ways. Jacques-Louis David is the creator of this painting. He inserted certain devices and effects into his work to help viewers arrive at a certain opinion and have a certain kind of impression of Napoleon. This was after Napoleon had led his army across the Alps. He surprised and defeated an Austrian army. His calm and controlled figure leading a wildly rearing horse is symbolic of his vision of himself as the bringer of order to post-revolutionary France. This was Jacques-Louis David's first painting. This work was propaganda. Propaganda is communication aimed at influencing a community's attitude towards a cause. Instead of providing unbiased information, propaganda in its most basic sense often presents information primarily to influence the public. The painting was not very realistic. Napoleon is much bigger than his horse. He was a very short man and was only about five feet four inches tall. David did this on purpose to make it look larger than life. Another unrealistic part of this painting was that he didn't ride a horse, he rode a mule. His goal was to make him look taller, like a king. Napoleon's clothes were in excellent condition to complete such a difficult task to paint...... middle of paper ......gustus by Pope Leo 111 on 25 December 800 as a rival of the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople . Charlemagne also helped define both Western Europe and the Middle Ages. The gesture is omnipresent in the painting of David from San Rocco who intercedes with the virgin for the plague struck by Mars disarmed by Venus and the graces. In Napoleon's crossing of the Alps, the gesture leaves no doubt about the commander's desire to reach the goal. He does not point to the summit, but rather shows the obs the inevitability of victory and at the same time orders his soldiers to follow him. The bare rather than gloved hand may indicate that Napoleon wished to appear as a peacemaker rather than a conqueror. In this image, the rock bears the names of Hannibal and Charlemagne alongside Bonaparte, connecting them across the crossing of the Alps and depicting Napoleon as their successor.