r's attention on the inevitable gap that occurs between the public and private spheres when a nation engages in radical change. On the left Brutus sits sunk in gloomy shadows that reflect his state of mind. On the right his wife, two daughters and a family servant display varieties of extreme grief. The center of the painting is an open space between the figures of the women and the partially visible pallet bearing one of the sons. The outstretched hand of the mother, attempting to reach across the gap, is the central movement of the composition. The sufferings of the participants on either side of the gap are treated differently. The family's agony is depicted sympathetically but the painting is more a
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