At the age of 24, Elizabeth Peyton read a book about Napoleon. She says it changed her life. “There was a portrait on the cover that was made by Baron Gros,” she explains, “and it was of Napoleon when he was the second lieutenant. His hair was still long, he was young, and was just kind of becoming what he was. For the first time I got it.... People do contain their time. People make their time.” Since then, Peyton has created portraits that hold a moment as well as a face. Her new series at David Zwirner London elevates her models from mortal to angelic, not through halos or wings but through pure emotion. —Lucy Horowitz