one of the heroic grandeur of republic Rome, whose severe moral code, virility, and honor gleamed in sharp contrast to the opulent frills and laces of pre-revolutionary France. The painting is based on Corneilles play, Horace. The play is set during a time of war for the Roman Republic, in which three Horatii brothers fight against three Curatti brothers to settle the war between Rome and Alba. David chose to capture the moment when the aged Horatius is holding three swords out to his sons as they swear a solemn oath to fight for their country, and the women lament over the possible fate of the heroes. The Horatii and the Curatti are related by marriage. Sabina, a Curatti, is married to one of the brothers taking the oath and Camilla, a Horatii, is betrothed to a Curatti. The approximate symmetry of the painting is more prominent when the story is known. The left and right sides differ not only in their physical composition, but also in the emotional connotations each depicts. On the left, the men are more vivid, larger, animated, and brought to the foreground with a for love of country attitude; on the right, the women are subdued, smaller, huddled for comfort, and moved closer to the background as they weep for husbands, brothers, and all that war brings.Jacques Louis David varied his style throughout his life and has paintings that are Baroque, Rococo, Realistic, and Classical. However, in his Oath of the Horatii David clearly defines the type of subject matter and presentation that marks Neo-Classicism by drawing on historical subjects from antiquity and painting them as a type of bas-relief with strong angular lines and theatrical poses. This painting set the tone for other Neo-Classical painters to follow....
