大卫 Part04

Word had got out there was something sensational to see. Jacques-Louis David's Oath of the Horatii.

It's a painting about a country in crisis.

To avoid war, the Romans have chosen three of their men to fight with three from the enemy. Last one standing wins.

The cruel twist is that one of the Roman boys is married to an enemy girl. Widowhood and orphanhood beckon.

. . . . . .

But none of the men are paying the slightest attention to that.

This is a boys' bonding picture, a tight-packed display of muscle, veins and steel.

The only splash of colour is the blood red of that cape.

. . . . . .

The father solemnly swears them to conquer or die, his naked hand on the sharp blade.