The Murder Of Jean-Paul Marat

An outstanding figure in neoclassical art, Jacques-Louis David released his painting titled The Death of Marat in 1793 after the murder of Jean-Paul Marat. The revolutionary painting shows Marat’s deceased body soaking in a bloody bath, with a quill in hand. Many thoughtfully placed details are included in the piece that add to the implication that one should focus on the sacrifices, and involvement Marat made during the French Revolution. With the use of symbolism, David coax’s the audience into viewing Marat as the political martyr of the revolution. There are many contributions to how the painting was created, but the most palpable is the knowledge of why Marat was murdered.

Jean-Paul Marat was feared by many. He was a politician involved

The symbolism between the soft facial features and innocence is made sure to be seen by the audience. One can imagine blood pumping through the deceased man’s veins, until after catching glance of the wound inflicted on his chest. Correlating with this expression of innocence is the lack of a sour expression. Even after being murdered, Marat is seen with a small smile on his face. No trace of anger is found lingering in his features, giving the impression of Marat being content. David pointedly sets a sense of life on Marat’s face, making sure to include color in his cheeks. Pagila describes Marat’s expression as being “asleep and pleasantly dreaming” (Paglia 1). With the amount of life still on his face, it would be an easy task to imagine his head resting on a pillow. This is the face of a man who was wronged, and tricked into being murdered. One may ask, “how can a man unable to feel anger, even in death’s grasp, possibly be anything other than a good person?” This is the face of a man who was wrongly tricked into being murdered, and no matter the convictions he has faced, one can feel through the painting that he should be forgiven. Though David captures Marat in a sense of purity and elegance, much like a saint, his decision to void Marat’s rare skin disorder is a step to show viewers Marat as a political

One being the letter grasped in his hand. With the pen still being grasped in Marat’s hand, perhaps in the process of signing it before the murder; it can be perceived that the letter grasped in the opposite hand is the list from Corday. Marat is presented as though he is doing Corday a favor, only to be murdered in return. Both the pen and letter grasped in either hand show Marat was doing what he thought was politically, and morally correct. David’s use of symbolism is noticeable within the painting, but the way he includes contrast to further emphasize symbolism is done quite