Jacques-Louis David's transformative journey to Italy represented far more than a typical artistic pilgrimage—it became a profound revelation that would reshape the course of French neoclassical painting. While David's Roman period may not have immediately demonstrated the genius he would later display, his Italian sojourn possessed the force of a spiritual awakening, fundamentally altering his artistic vision and establishing the foundation for his revolutionary approach to painting.

Unlike Michel de Montaigne, who arrived in Rome already intimately familiar with its history and culture through his classical education, David's encounter with the Eternal City represented a genuine rebirth. Where Montaigne could write that he had known Rome's affairs long before those of his own household, understanding the Capitol's layout before the Louvre's, David approached Rome as a blank slate, ready to absorb its ancient wisdom and artistic heritage with fresh eyes.

The young French painter traversed Rome methodically, capturing what he described as the city's "horizons so picturesque in form and effect." His working method was precise and deliberate: he would first lightly sketch the overall composition in pencil, then mass the shadows with China ink, and finally indicate the contours and accents with pen. This careful process, exemplified in works like "View of Rome taken from Santa Maria Maggiore" (1775-1780), now in the Louvre, demonstrated his commitment to understanding Rome's architectural and atmospheric qualities through direct observation.

David's immersion in Italian art, particularly his study of ancient Roman sculptures and Renaissance masterpieces, profoundly influenced his developing aesthetic philosophy. He believed that true artistry lay in emulating the ancients and masters like Raphael, stating that "to proceed like the ancients and Raphael is to be truly an artist." This philosophy would guide his artistic development and inform his later revolutionary works that broke with the decorative Rococo tradition of his French contemporaries.

The impact of Italian masters on David's artistic evolution cannot be overstated. Through intensive study of classical sculpture and Renaissance painting techniques, he absorbed lessons in noble simplicity, heroic grandeur, and moral gravity that would later characterize his most famous works. His Roman experience taught him to restore ancient artistic heritage not as mere archaeological curiosity, but as living, expressive art—what he termed presenting it "raw," endowed with genuine emotional power.

This Italian influence would prove instrumental in David's later success as the leading painter of the French Revolution and Napoleon's court. The classical themes, heroic compositions, and moral clarity that defined works like "The Oath of the Horatii" and "The Death of Marat" can be traced directly to his transformative Roman experience, where he learned to channel ancient artistic principles into contemporary revolutionary expression.