The Intervention Of The Sabine Women 1799

Jacques Louis David made 'The Intervention of the Sabine Women' using oil paint on canvas, a process requiring extensive preparation through grinding pigments and layering applications of paint over time. The scale alone speaks to a huge commitment of labour; large canvases such as this would have taken several weeks, if not months, to prepare. The artist is using the classical language of history painting to make a very modern claim about the French revolution. The sheer physicality of its making runs counter to the high-minded subject. We can observe the artist's hand in the delicate brushstrokes defining skin tones and the folds of clothing, juxtaposed with the precise delineation of weaponry and architecture. The tools involved, from brushes to easels, were themselves products of specialized craft traditions. Considering the making of this painting reveals the depth of artistic labor involved, challenging distinctions between artistic skill and mere craft.