Jacques-Louis David was an active pro-revolutionary artist during the French revolution. His painting, Marat Assassinated, commemorated his friend Jean-Paul Marat after Marat was killed by Charlotte Corday, another figure of the French Revolution who believed that Marat was partly responsible for “Reign of Terror”. Marat was a radical journalist and politician who was part of the radical Jacobin faction that led to the “Reign of Terror,” a period full of massacres. As a journalist, Marat had certain capacities to influence people through his published castigation toward his enemies. Though David admired Marat since they were close friends, most people of the era felt that Marat was “merely a hateful demagogue”(The Death of Marat - Jacques-Louis David). Therefore, Corday believed that Marat caused unnecessary turmoil in France and chose to assassinate him.
The painting shows Marat being assassinated in the bathtub, a time and place where most people are vulnerable since bathing is a private moment. David chose the bathtub as the setting to drive the point that Marat was defenseless and that it was cowardice of Corday to attack his enemy unguarded. The dagger is tossed on the ground to show the audacity of the murder since he didn’t even care to hide the weapon. Blood is oozing from Marat’s breast as the life is squeezed out of him. One of his arms is drooping lifelessly while the other holds a note. Through Marat has a virile body and soft skin, it is clear that David tried to embellish the image of Marat in this picture to make him more youthful and innocent. Compared to the upper part of the painting that is shrouded in the dark background wall, the lower part is full of details. It accentuates the cruelty and suffering that Marat experienced as he lay dying. David tried to illustrate the violent assassination by demonstrating a horrific death to inspire public empathy for Marat and his cause. Ironically, violence was one of the reasons got Marat assassinated as he promoted the massacres of enemies who went against the Jacobins.
Though Marat died at the hands of his enemy, his facial expression showed no hatred or anger. In fact, he seemed almost content, as if dying for a cause. With the note in his hand as he dies, the painting evokes the image that Marat died fighting for what he believed in. David purposely painted it this way to win the support and sympathy of the public for his friend. The peacefulness of his death and the violence of his assassin further strengthen David’s message and purpose of creating a martyr out of Marat.
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