David, La Mort de Marat (1793)



Highly political yet so spiritual, this painting seems on the edge of both in its beauty. By the French painter Jacques-Louis David, I've always been so mesmerized by this painting, and knowing the backstory only heightens it for me.




Jacques-Louis David, La Mort de Marat [The Death of Marat], 1793
Oil on canvas
165 cm × 128 cm

Jean-Paul Marat was a leader of the French Revolution, a journalist and maybe one of the most radical revolutionaries in the movement. He named 'enemies of the people' in his writings, which (wether intentional or unintentional) led to numerous executions which may have been in the hundreds.  This man signed the death warrants of a vast amount of people and as a result was assassinated by those who didn't agree with what he was doing. He was assassinated in March of 1793, the same year of David's commission. But what does this mean in relation to David's work?

Look at the painting, we can see that even as he dies Marat is working on a makeshift table, still writing with the feather in his hand and paper on the table. This is almost admirable, he is ever working seen by the note on the table. However the note in his hand is from his assassin, held in a loose grip. In the very bottom left of the work is a bloodied knife, and just below his collarbone is a small laceration, the stabbing that led to his death. Subtle, no? The point of this subtlety is clear, David is not drawing attention to his assassination. It is not the assassination that is the focus here, it is the death. A very fine line, but extremely important to recognize.

Marat was also known to have a skin disease which was only relieved by a bath, and has also been described as having a hideous face. But the man here is beautiful, with no indication of any skin ailments. What was David trying to achieve? The answer lies in who commissioned the work, for it was the revolutionaries who wanted David to paint Marat's death. 

Marat is not depicted as a tyrant, but as a martyr. He is not in the throes of death, but in a poignant depiction of his transition to the next life. The soft glow on his face coming from above indicates a heavenly ascension that resonates deeply with traditional Christian art. Over a third of the painting is empty, an ambiguous space in where this world and the afterlife mix. Marat has been effectively shown as a saint, a martyr, a man who should be followed and revered. It is a work of propoganda, created to support the revolutionaries despite their numerous acts of terrorism.

I love it, a mix of political intentions and spiritual ascension. That empty space, that soft glow, it's a quiet and peaceful place even in the grips of death. David has truly done his job, the beauty and poignancy isn't missed.

What I love though is the irony. David painted this work as a commission in support of the revolutionaries, but in truth, David seems to simply painted for the highest bidder. He shifted in supporting the revolutionaries to supporting Napoleon, and subsequently creating numerous paintings for the leader. Maybe it was survival in the political world, maybe it was a real shift in his attitude, I don't know.

All political intentions aside, I can't deny the beauty of this painting. How peaceful yet terrifying it is. That space... That beautiful space...