The artwork titled “Brutus” is by Jacques-Louis David, a prominent artist of the Neoclassicism art movement. Created in the year 1790, this remarkable work is executed in chalk, showcasing the artist’s masterful sketching technique. The dimensions of the artwork are impressive, standing at 186 by 223 centimeters. Identified as a “sketch and study,” this piece is currently held in a private collection, indicating its exclusive nature and perhaps its significance to the collection in which it resides.
As for the artwork itself, it is a portrait sketch that depicts a figure with a penetrating gaze and somber expression. The subject’s head and partial upper body are visible, drawn with hatched lines that suggest shadow and volume. The subject’s hand can be seen gesturing near the collar, adding to the sense of movement and a moment captured in time. There is a raw intensity to the work that reflects the emotional depth the artist is renowned for. The inscriptions at the bottom attribute the image to Junius Brutus and include both the aforementioned date and the artist’s signature, solidifying the work’s historical context and its connection to the artist.