Page "Jacques-Louis David" Paragraph 13

For his next painting, David created The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons.

The work had tremendous appeal for the time.

Before the opening of the Salon, the French Revolution had begun.

The National Assembly had been established, and the Bastille had fallen.

The royal court did not want propaganda agitating the people, so all paintings had to be checked before being hung.

David's portrait of Lavoisier, who was a chemist and physicist as well as an active member of the Jacobin party, was banned by the authorities for such reasons.

When the newspapers reported that the government had not allowed the showing of The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons, the people were outraged, and the royals were forced to give in.

The painting was hung in the exhibition, protected by art students.

The painting depicts Lucius Junius Brutus, the Roman leader, grieving for his sons.

Brutus's sons had attempted to overthrow the government and restore the monarchy, so the father ordered their death to maintain the republic.

Thus, Brutus was the heroic defender of the republic, at the cost of his own family.

On the right, the Mother holds her two daughters, and the nurse is seen on the far right, in anguish.

Brutus sits on the left, alone, brooding, seemingly dismissing the dead bodies of his sons.

Knowing what he did was best for his country, but the tense posture of his feet and toes reveals his inner turmoil.

The whole painting was a Republican symbol, and obviously had immense meaning during these times in France.