<P> In the Portrait of Antoine - Laurent Lavoisier and his wife (1788), the man and his wife are tied together in an intimate pose . She leans on his shoulder while he pauses from his work to look up at her . David casts them in a soft light, not in the sharp contrast of Brutus or of the Horatii . Also of interest--Lavoisier was a tax collector, as well as a famous chemist . Though he spent some of his money trying to clean up swamps and eradicate malaria, he was nonetheless sent to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror as an enemy of the people . David, then a powerful member of the National Assembly, stood idly by and watched . </P> <P> Other portraits include paintings of his sister - in - law and her husband, Madame and Monsieur Seriziat . The picture of Monsieur Seriziat depicts a man of wealth, sitting comfortably with his horse - riding equipment . The picture of the Madame shows her wearing an unadorned white dress, holding her young child's hand as they lean against a bed . David painted these portraits of Madame and Monsieur Seriziat out of gratitude for letting him stay with them after he was in jail . </P> <P> Towards the end of David's life, he painted a portrait of his old friend Abbé Sieyès . Both had been involved in the Revolution, both had survived the purging of political radicals that followed the reign of terror . </P> <P> The shift in David's perspective played an important role in the paintings of David's later life, including this one of Sieyès . During the height of the reign of terror, David was an ardent supporter of radicals such as Robespierre and Marat, and twice offered up his life in their defense . He organized revolutionary festivals and painted portraits of martyrs of the revolution, such as Lepeletier, who was assassinated for voting for the death of the king . David was an impassioned speaker at times in the National Assembly . In speaking to the Assembly about the young boy named Bara, another martyr of the revolution, David said, "O Bara! O Viala! The blood that you have spread still smokes; it rises toward Heaven and cries for vengeance ." </P>

Who became the leading french artist during the french revolution