The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of his Sons or The First Modern Political Painting

Almost simultaneously to the Bastilla Palace taking, Paris saw another important event: the national arts saloon. That year (1789) there was an outstanding painting that did not go unnoticed: "The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of his Sons" by the neoclassical painter Jacques Louis David. This painting could easily be the first political image of modernity because it became one of the symbols of the rising french republic.

¿Why was this painting so important and expressing of the french revolution?
The history has recorded the roman Brutus as the most important defender of the republic. Lucius Junius Brutus is known as the founder of the roman republic and one of its first consuls. In 509 BC he led the revolt that overthrew the last king of that age Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. But the royal family did not accepted the defeat and attempted to regain the throne. Amongst the conspirators there were two sons of Brutus... the consul had to stay firmly stoic and finally accepted to punish all the conspirators with death.

In the name of the republic Brutus accepted the execution of his sons though he suffered. His sacrifice became a symbol of the end of the monarchy in the France of the XVIIIth century. The painting of Jacques Louis David created great controversy as he intended, in fact the painter was a well known supporter of the revolution, friend of Robespierre and member of the jacobin club.