David, Study for The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons
About this video
A speaker examines Jacques-Louis David's finished compositional study for The Lictors Returning to Brutus the Bodies of his Sons. She explains the story of Brutus ordering his sons' execution, David's choice to show the aftermath with Brutus in shadow and the women in light, his revision of the women's grouping, and how audiences connected the subject to the choices they faced during the Terror.
You'll be able to
- explain which moment of the Brutus story David chose and why it was new.
- describe how light and placement contrast Brutus with the women.
- explain why the public connected the painting to their own experiences.
Key words
- Study
- A drawing an artist makes to plan or try out a composition before the final painting.
- Lictors
- Officials in ancient Rome; here they carry the bodies of Brutus's sons.
- Republic
- A state without a king, governed by elected leaders.
- The Terror
- The most violent period of the French Revolution, when many were executed.
Transcript
This study by Jacques Louis David i s for one of his most iconic paintings "The Lichters Returning to Brutus the Bodies of his Sons". It depicts Brutus who lived during the brutal regime of the last king of Rome and led the revolt, that established the first Republic.
He discovered his two sons had been involved in a conspiracy to return the monarchs to power found guilty of treason he had to order their execution. David did not choose the moment of the execution or the tribunal. He chose instead the wrenching dramatic aftermath and this had never been depicted visually before, so in essence he was creating the scene from scratch.
He chose to put the protagonist Brutus in the shadows his back turned to the scene behind him where the lichters are carrying the dead bodies of his sons. The brightest part of the composition are his wife and daughters lit up from the sunlight pouring in from above.
After he had created this very finished compositional drawing he had one more epiphany and he changed the grouping of the women on the right. In this drawing, he’s envisioning this mother reaching, straining towards something she can never have back and at the same time she’s supporting the weight of this girl whose legs have gone out from under her.
When I saw this for the first time, I felt myself react as a mother and I think David got at some essential aspect of being a parent because once you are a parent you never forget. The public responded to this with great immediacy. The subject became emblematic of many of the struggles that they faced during the Terror as the choices between patriotic acts and personal sacrifice became real for everyone in the audience. He’s using the story to draw out these human urges and reactions that everyone can feel.
Jacques-Louis David gave me permission to be subjective. It’s not that objectivity is impossible. I just feel over time, that it’s perhaps overrated. It changes who I am and this drawing changes along with me.
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