Oath of the Horatii (detail)

The three brothers, the Horatii, chosen by Rome to defy the champions of the town of Alba called the Curiaces, are taking an oath that they will win or die and are receiving swords from their father. Like Corneille in his tragedy Horace , David contrasts the stoic resolution of the warriors, underlined by strict geometry and strident colour, with the gentle line of the women which expresses their suffering. Painted in 1784 and shown in Paris the following year, this painting earned David a European reputation as uncontested leader of the Neoclassical movement.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/saskia/3683/thumbnail.jp