Demolition of the Bastille, painting by Hubert Robert (1733-1808), July 1789. The painting was done at the beginning of the demolition so the fortress is nearly intact, but smoke from the fires set on 14 July is still evident. Robert’s rendering uses human figures at the top of the wall and at the base to make the edifice all the more massive and imposing. “A monument of despotism” became the popular name of the structure.