Following the paradigms of historical painting, David used the achievements of ancient ancient times not only as a moral orientation, but as a political position and practical orientation in the then emerging revolution in France. The livers bringing Brutus the bodies of his children (1789) is a prime example of a republican nature and thus also revolutionary action in the context of the monarchy. After the Revolution, David painted murdered Marat (1793), a work in which, using the form of historical painting, he depicted a character and a theme of contemporary history. Finally, France, now republican, was dignified to be represented in a historical painting.