David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

The Salon’s attitude was traditional.
“Works were expected to be
microscopically accurate, properly
‘finished’ and formally framed, with
proper perspective and all the familiar
artistic conventions,” the art historian
Sue Roe writes. “Light denoted high
drama, darkness suggested gravitas. In
narrative painting, the scene should not
only be ‘accurate,’ but should also set a
morally acceptable tone. An afternoon at
the Salon was like a night at the Paris
Opéra: audiences expected to be uplifted
and entertained. For the most part, they
knew what they liked, and expected to
see what they knew.” The kinds of
paintings that won medals, Roe says,