Louis Hersent (1777-1860) was a French painter during the Neoclassical period. He received his artistic education from the master Jacques-Louis David, which solidified his foundation in Neoclassicism.

As the artistic landscape evolved in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Hersent’s approach also shifted. While firmly rooted in Neoclassicism, the mood of many of his later paintings became more Romantic as he embraced the Romantics focus on human emotion and beauty of nature.