Jacques Louis David was a highly influential French painter in the neoclassical style, considered to be one of the most prominent of his time. In the late 1780s, his celebrated historical paintings marked a drastic change from the Rococo style of love and affection to the neoclassical style of moral behavior and virtue. Such new themes in paintings were a result of writings by academic scholars such as Denis, Diderot, and Winckelmann. David proved to be more than just a history painter though, as he was also one of the well-known leaders of the Jacobin party in the French Revolution. It was events leading up to the revolution that began David on his journey of political propaganda in artwork that set him apart from other artists of his time. This use of propaganda would ultimately lead to his eventual imprisonment on multiple occasions, although he never would face the guillotine as many others would. In fact, after the Reign of Terror, of which David was a major promoter, David's influential propaganda painting abilities helped him not only receive recognition, but commissions from Napoleon Bonaparte, the rising leader of The Consulate. The focus of these paintings would not be on political revolution however, but instead on peace and acceptance of the new government in France. Nevertheless, David's use of propaganda around the time of the French Revolution through history paintings had a major impact on the way in which art developed during the neoclassical period. Perhaps one of David's most famous works, The Oath of the Horatii, was an influential painting in the neoclassical era for many artists and was also equally important to a troubled French society prepared for revolution. The historical background of David and the development of the Oath of the Horatii demonstrate not only how influential David was to the developing neoclassical art at the time but also how significant he was in starting the French Revolution. Jacques Louis David was born on August 30, 1748. His family was generally well-to-do and enjoyed a comfortable living. However, when he was just nine years old his father was killed in a dual.1 Soon after the incident, David was sent away by his mother to live with his wealthy uncles, hoping he could enjoy a better living. Trained in architecture, they sent David to the College des Quatre Nation, part of the University of France, in order to pursue his education and become an architect. However, architecture bored David and because of this he neglected his studies. In addition to this, David had also been injured in a sword fight when he was younger and suffered a speech impediment from a gash that he had received in his cheek.2 This caused David to be less social and more independent from the rest of the students at the University. Nevertheless, David was constantly drawing in school filling up his class notes with sketches and drawings of various subjects. David was convinced that he wanted to pursue a career as an artist despite others who discouraged him. He eventually went to live with Francois Boucher, a distant relative of his mother's side. Boucher was amongst the most famous painters in France at the time with his painting The Gracious Shepherd (1736-39), which won him much recognition as its amorous and sensual themes evoked great pleasure to the aristocracy and upper class (Figure 1).3 Although Boucher painted Rococo in subject matter, his style gave way to much more of a classical approach. Boucher was not responsible for training David as he instead sent him to learn from Joseph Marie Vien (1716-1809), a lesser known painter who embraced the classical reaction to Rococo. After studying at the College des Quatre Nations, David then pursued an education at the French Royal Academy. During this time he would stay with Michel Jean Sedaine (1719-1797), a well-known playwright. This was a crucial and beneficial period for David as he was able to learn and mingle with other artists of his time. David was not generally recognized for his talents at the academy initially, as he won no awards or scholarships and this angered him because he knew of his potential. Finally, in 1774, after four failed attempts, David won the Prix-de-Rome which allowed him free travel to Rome, where he would study at the French Academy there. David's trouble with winning the award was solely due to Vien, who decided the victor every year. He chose not to pick David initially because other artists who had been attempting to win for years took priority. Vien believed David needed to wait and earn his turn4. Nevertheless, David's trip to Rome proved to be initially difficult for him. He was exposed to all of the classical painting, art, and sculpture that was beginning to gain strength. David's training as a Rococo artist initially caused him to dismiss the classical antiquity that was apparent in Roman art and architecture. However, as he stayed longer he became increasingly inte