David went to Rome with his tutor and there he studied many centuries of Italian classicism, learning as much as he could from the great masters of the past. He also produced endless study drawings so that he could continue to refer to their work even after he had returned to France. Despite his passion for the classical style of art he felt that there lacked movement which he wanted to add to his own style. He would return to Italy on several further occassions in order to complete several commissions and also continue studying this region of artistic excellence.
The 1780s were a particularly important point in the career of Jacques Louis David, with his joining of the Académie Royale as a respected artist and also his delivery of several key pieces including Oath of the Horatii, Death of Socrates and The Lictors Bringing to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons, with The Death of Marat following just a few years afterwards.
The instability of French life would then impact the artist's life beyond all recognition. On several occassions the artist would have to choose his position carefully to avoid falling foul of the ruling powers, which changed several times. He did not always make the right choice, meaning that, for example, he was never to be allowed to be buried in France (due to disagreements with the reign of King Louis XVI).