On 17 November 1796, at a battle near Arcole, the then General Bonaparte threw himself first into the fray to storm a bridge occupied by the Austrian army, thus moving forward his soldiers, who had fallen back. Napoleon's act led to a French victory.
This painting of this historic event was based on the artist's personal impressions - he accompanied Bonaparte on the Italian campaign and was an eyewitness of all that happened. David's favourite pupil, Gros embodied in the image of Napoleon the classical ideal of a strong, wilful individual. The figure strains forward, face cold and calm, with a tense gaze emphasizing the hero's decisiveness and bravery. At the same time, in combining a battle scene with a portrait of a hero of the people, Gros's painting is suffused with a mood which foreshadows the Romantic era, reflected in the dynamic colour and light and shade contrasts, the intersection of diagonal lines and movements, and the temperamental painting manner.