Focus on Leonidas at Thermopylae and analyze the Style.
When Napoleon Bonaparte saw the exhibit of David's latest paintings in 1799, “he criticized the lack of action and the fixed poses of the warriors in The Sabine Women.” This critique by one of David's heroes compelled David to revisit the classical ideals that inspired him (and the French Académie de Peinture et de Sculpture). The reworked masterpiece respects classical ideals of male virtue and beauty in its depiction of historical Greek warriors to convey an impression of heroic courage.
Napoleon Académie de Peinture et de Sculpture Napoleon Bonaparte