The Death of Marat

The Death of Marat(French:La Mort de MaratorMarat Assassiné) is a 1793 painting byJacques-Louis Daviddepicting the artist's friend and murdered French revolutionary leader,Jean-Paul Marat.One of the most famous images from the era of theFrench Revolution, it was painted when David was the leading French Neoclassical painter, aMontagnard, and a member of the revolutionaryCommittee of General Security. Created in the months after Marat's death, the painting shows Marat lying dead in his bath after his assassination byCharlotte Cordayon 13 July 1793.
In 2001, art historianT. J. Clarkcalled David's painting the first modernist work for "the way it took the stuff of politics as its material, and did not transmute it".
The painting is in the collection of theRoyal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium. A replica, created by the artist's studio, is on display at theLouvre.
Jean-Paul Marat(24 May 1743 – 13 July 1793) was one of the leaders of theMontagnards, a radical faction active during theFrench Revolutionfrom theReign of Terrorto theThermidorian Reaction. Marat was stabbed to death byCharlotte Corday, aGirondinand political enemy of Marat who blamed Marat for theSeptember Massacre. Corday gained entrance to Marat's dwelling promising either to divulge the names of traitors of the Revolution or to plead for the lives of her Girondin acquaintances (historical records disagree on her ostensible reason for meeting with Marat).
Marat suffered from a skin condition that caused him to spend much of his time in his bathtub; he would often work there. Corday fatally stabbed Marat, but she did not attempt to flee. She was later tried and executed for the murder.
When he was murdered, Marat was correcting a proof of his newspaperL'Ami du peuple. The blood-stained page is preserved.  In the painting, the note Marat is holding is not an actual quotation of Corday, but a fictional expression based on what Corday might have said.
The leading French painter of his generation, David was a prominent Montagnard and aJacobin, aligned with Marat andMaximilian Robespierre.As a deputy of the museum section at theNational Convention, David voted for the death of French kingLouis XVIand served on the Committee of General Security, where he actively participated in sentencings and imprisonment, eventually presiding over the "section des interrogatoires".David was also on theCommittee of Public Instruction.
The Death of Marathas often been compared toMichelangelo's Pietà, a major similarity being the elongated arm hanging down in both works.David admiredCaravaggio's works, especiallyEntombment of Christ, which mirrorsThe Death of Marat's drama and light.
David sought to transfer the sacred qualities long associated with the monarchy and the Catholic Church to the new French Republic. He painted Marat, martyr of the Revolution, in a style reminiscent of a Christian martyr, with the face and body bathed in a soft, glowing light.
Several copies of the painting were made by David's pupils in 1793–1794, when the image was a popular symbol of martyrdom amid the Reign of Terror.From 1795 to David's death, the painting languished in obscurity.  During David's exile in Belgium, it was hidden, somewhere in France, byAntoine Gros, David's most famous pupil.
There was renewed interest in the painting afterPierre-Joseph ProudhonandCharles Baudelairepraised the work after seeing it at the Bazar Bonne-Nouvelle in 1845.Nineteenth-century paintings inspired by David's work includePaul Jacques Aimé Baudry'sCharlotte Corday. In the 20th century, David's painting inspired artists such asPablo PicassoandEdvard Munch, poets (Alessandro Mozzambani) and writers (Peter Weiss' playMarat/Sade).Brazilian artistVik Munizcreated a version composed of contents from a city landfill as part of his "Pictures of Garbage" series.
The letter that appears in the painting, with blood-stains and bath water marks still visible, has survived and was owned byRobert Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford.