The Death of Marat

In Marat Assassinated, Jacques-Louis David stages the murder of Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday on July 13, 1793.

He represents a wound there, echoing the wound of Christ on the Cross, highlighted by the whiteness of the revolutionary scarf which supports the feeling of innocence, kindness and devotion of the revolutionary. The appearance of the corpse, its surprisingly smooth skin texture, does not represent reality. Jean-Paul Marat had suffered for more than ten years from pustules and skin lesions that covered his body, causing him excruciating pain.

Undoubtedly, the artist chose not to depict the tragic state of his companion, so as not to break the revolutionary legend that was put in place following his death. Real artistic success, well beyond the aesthetic character, this work of propaganda from which the artist clearly displays his political orientations, makes Marat a martyr of freedom.