Jacques-Louis David (1747-1825) was a French painter of the Neoclassical style, who helped shift popular taste away from the frivolity of the Rococo style to one marked with austere classicism and strong moral messaging. His The Death of Marat (1793) was painted during the French Revolution and commemorates the political assassination of Jean-Paul Marat, a contentious journalist, and politician who became a post-mortem Jacobin icon. As David’s politics aligned with Marat’s, this painting helped create the image of a revolutionary martyr through an idealized depiction of his violent death. The shadowed background, Christ-like pose, and intimate setting provide Marat with an air of solemn dignity, meant to stir the emotions of the viewer.

Learn more about the work that inspired this pin HERE.