Leopold et Aurele Robert

<p>Swiss painter L¿old Robert (1794¿1835) is emblematic of the romantic myth of the artist with a tragic destiny. Educated in Paris at the ¿ole des Beaux-Arts and in the studios of artists Jacques-Louis David and Edouard Girardet, he moved to Italy in 1818. With the substantial assistance of his brother and fellow artist Aur¿ (1805¿71), he created idealised depictions of Italian brigand life and gained recognition throughout Europe. Yet, his success as a painter did not save him from the deep melancholy that eventually led to his suicide in 1835, due also to his unrequited love for Princess Charlotte Bonaparte. Loved and praised by collectors and art critics of their time, the Robert brothers¿ oeuvre gradually fell into oblivion after L¿old''s death and Aur¿''s subsequent return to Switzerland.</p><p>This book, published to coincide with a dual exhibition at the Mus¿d¿art et d¿histoire in Neuch¿l and the Mus¿des beaux-arts in the Robert brothers¿ native town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, pays