La Mort de Camille

Girodet's Death of Camilla from 1785 was his entry for the Prix de Rome competition, painting the death of the warrior maiden from Virgil's Aeneid who was struck down by a javelin while pursuing the Trojan Arruns in battle. The Prix de Rome subject demonstrated his mastery of academic history painting as defined by David's neoclassical program—the stoic Roman theme, the precise anatomical rendering, the dramatic compositional organization—while beginning to show the individual tendencies that would distinguish his mature work from orthodox Davidian neoclassicism. The 1785 date places this in his early formation at the Académie Royale, just before his entry to David's studio would complete his academic training and the Prix de Rome itself would send him to Rome.

The young painter's academic training is evident in the careful figure drawing and classical composition. The dying heroine's pose balances dramatic expression with the idealized grace expected of Neoclassical figure painting. The palette and handling show the influence of David's studio, where Girodet was training at this date.