Jacques-Louis David's The Lictors Bringing to Brutus the Bodies of his Dead Sons is a gruesome and compelling painting

By Mark Ledbury, Professor of Art History and Visual Culture, University of Sydney

In this new series, our writers introduce us to a favourite painting.

How can anyone love this dark and gruesome painting?

We’re a long way from Monet, Van Gogh and the perennial favourites of museum visitors.

Jacques-Louis David’s The Lictors Bringing to Brutus the Bodies of his Dead Sons is a history painting: a kind of art that attempts to give visual life to stories from history, religion and myth. This genre was regarded for centuries as the pinnacle of…

Read complete article

~	Farrer byelection will be on May 9

~	Grattan on Friday: would Labor be supporting this war if it were in opposition?

~	What the conflict in Iran means for Putin and Ukraine

~	Politics with Michelle Grattan: South Australian election special

~	Israeli Military Calls for Evacuating Southern Lebanon

~	The US just torpedoed an Iranian ship. Here’s why this old tech is hard to defend against

~	Germany: Proposed Bill Would Weaken Right to Social Security

~	“My message is: keep going, there’s no other way”

~	Iran war fallout: risks for the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa

~	Petrol prices too high? Here’s how quickly an EV could save you money