Jacques-Louis David, Belisarius Begging for Alms 1781

<span class="paragraphSection">In this theatrically staged composition, light floods in from the left, illuminating the key figures and emphasizing their features. First the faces: the shocked dismay of the bewildered soldier, the restrained compassion of the young woman, the dignified suffering of the blind beggar and the pleading eyes of his desperate, suppliant child. Next the hands: the soldier’s thrown up in horror, the woman’s delicate and generous, the beggar’s open, outstretched and lined with life, the boy’s tiny, fragile yet determined. Finally the hearts: connected through the messages and symbols displayed by the actions, positions and postures of the four main players. ‘Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together’ [<a href="#CIT0001" class="reflinks">1</a>]. </span>

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