Page "Jacques-Louis David" Paragraph 21

David set out in 1790 to transform the contemporary event into a major historical picture which would appear at the Salon of 1791 as a large pen and ink drawing.

As in the Oath of the Horatii, David represents the unity of men in the service of a patriotic ideal.

The outstretched arms which are prominent in both works betray David's deeply held belief that acts of republican virtue akin to those of the Romans were being played out in France.

In what was essentially an act of intellect and reason, David creates an air of drama in this work.

The very power of the people appears to be " blowing " through the scene with the stormy weather, in a sense alluding to the storm that would be the revolution.