Death of Marat

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Death of Marat

1793

by Jacques-Louis David

This painting might be one of the most important historical paintings of France. The painting depicts Jean-Paul Marat, a paranoid writer and forefighter of the French revolution who sentenced tens of thousands of people to the guillotine. Marat was murdered by a stab in the chest.

But for David, Marat isn't a monster, he's a saint. This is martyrdom, David's manifesto of revolutionary virtue.

Jean-Paul Marat was always writing in his bath tub as this was the only place where he didn't encounter horrible problems with his skin disease.