Jacque-Louis_David__the_Death_of_Marat

Jacque-Louis David: The Death of Marat The Neo-Classicism art movement which started in the 18th century was an unemotional form of art going back to the classical style of Greek and roman times. Neo-Classicism was a push away from the Frivolous Rococo style and the extremely emotionally charged Baroque style. Artists of this movement wished to revive interest in classical austerity and what they considered “pure”, to represent political truths and play a part in influencing the French Revolution. One of the most influential neo-classicism artists was Jacque-Louis David. David was “one of the central figures of Neo-classicism” through his involvement in the French Revolution, politics, and his artworks’ influential power during the French Revolution. David is the perfect image of a Neo-classicism painter, which shows through all of his works especially through his piece The Death of Marat; where David incorporates the classical style into his work but instead of serving religious purposes it was used to promote the French Revolution and the revolutionists. David’s involvement in the French Revolution truly made him the ideal Neo-Classical artist. “David became a keen supporter of Napoleon, as well as the French Revolution and retained under him the dominant social and artistic position which he had previously held.” With David’s respect for the French Revolution and Napoleon, he began creating works to promote Napoleon’s political ambitions. David not only painted to further the Revolution but he also voted for the execution of the king (Louis XVI) and personally signed for over 300 executions. David painted Napoleon between 1802 and 1807 which were a series of paintings that glorified the French emperor. Throughout his involvement with the French Revolution David gained power as Deputy of the city of Paris. David was, “elected a Deputy from the city of Paris” and with that power he, “voted for the execution of Louis XVI.” Not only did he vote for the execution of Louis XVI, but he personally signed for the execution of several other people. David was “active in numerous agencies of the reign of terror, historians have identified more than 300 victims for whom David signed execution orders.” David’s involvement with Napoleon and the French Revolution is what allowed him to paint political figures of the Revolution and become such an influential painter during that time. The Death of Marat painted by David in 1793, is of Marat’s assassination. Marat was a journalist who “wrote that the king was “unworthy to mount the throne.” His public notoriety as “l’ami du people” (“l’ami du people” meaning “the people’s friend”) garnered him public support and the Montagnards championed him. This incurred the ire of the conservative Girondins. On July 13 1793, Corday entered his house, claiming she had a request for his protection. She stabbed Marat where he lay in his daily bath, treating a skin infection.” Even though this was a brutal stabbing David did not depict it so, instead he paints Marat in a glorifying and complementary way (attempting to make Marat seem like Christ). David painted The Death of Marat in a Neo-Classicism manner. David does this by representing Marat in an imitation of the image of Christ. Firstly, the positioning of Marat’s body is significant: Marat’s arm hang’s out of the bathtub, in a posture similar to the posture of Christ in the painting “the descent from the cross.” He also paints Marat in a fashion that depicts as an innocent porcelain figurine; which was how during classical style figures were painted. These figures were painted with perfect complexions, resembling porcelain dolls. This is a key aspect of Neo-classicism, it renews the old classical styles but in a different way. Instead of these paints being of Christ and Christianity (as found in the classical style) it was instead used to promote political view during the French Revolution. Neo-classicism paintings should profoundly influence the French Revolution. David reaches this level of influence by depicting Marat as innocent and Serene; which in turns appeals to those who worship Marat. This makes it an ideal Neo-classicism painting because it puts a positive outlook on the French revolutionists, making them seem kind and innocent; when in reality they were quite cruel. David paint’s Marat in this realistic setting, but idealises him in every way, through “The austerity of the composition, testifying to the republican poverty of the “the people’s friend”, appealed strongly to the Parisian sans-culottes, who worshipped Marat.” The Death of Marat was such a successful Neo-classicism painting because it took a violent, horrible man, (Marat) who was the reason for so many executions, and made him look innocent and serene in this painting. David does this by making “Marat seem younger and more serene.” Through this David creates an idealistic painting, a painting which leaders of the French Revolution hugely applauded for the way it created a positive image for the revolutionists. Furthermore, David creates this young innocent look by not depicting the skin disease from which Marat suffered from his whole life. As a result of David’s creativity in painting Marat in an innocent and serene way, he has created an authentic Neo-Classicism Painting. The Death of Marat is not only an authentic Neo-classical artwork for the way he created Marat in an innocent and Christ-like way (which put a positive outlook on those behind the French Revolution) but it also embodies conflicts, concerns and values of that particular time. David’s painting The Death of Marat embodies conflicts of the French Revolution, which is the fight of the people against those in power. Marat had one of the most extreme voices during the French Revolution, and was the cause for many executions during that time. He was assassinated by Charlotte Corday, for these executions. During the French Revolution, fights between different sympathizers happened constantly. The Death of Marat also embodies concerns during that time, particularly the concerns of the sans-culottes and the Jacobin. Their concerns were to take down the anarchy and to free the people. “The sans-culottes desires were simple, they believed that survival was a right of all people, inequality of any kind was to be abolished, and the aristocracy and the monarchy were to be eliminated.” The Jacobin club was most famous political group of the French Revolution, which became identified with extreme egalitarianism and violence and led the Revolutionary government from mid-1793 to mid-1794. So not only does this painting touch upon the conflicts and concerns during the time it was create but it also hold the values as well. The Death of Marat holds many values of the French Revolution. The values sought by the Revolutionaries were liberty and freedom from the anarchy. This piece holds these values through David’s depiction of Marat, like Christ, a liberator of sins, or in this case a Liberator from the anarchy. This painting help to further promote the French Revolutionists by making them seem just. David’s Painting, The Death of Marat, is truly an authentic Neo-classicism painting, as proved by many of its features. David’s involvement in the French Revolution is the first significant fact regarding Neo-Classicism. David’s involvement in the French Revolution ranged from the voting of the execution of the king, to the signed execution of 300 people. All Neo-Classicism paintings are political, and David painted political figures of the revolution, (such as Napoleon) and greatly influenced the Revolution itself. The style that David painted The Death of Marat is also important to note, because he incorporates classical styles, most notably in the way he depicts Marat in a Christ-like form. This depiction is actually the opposite of reality; Marat was actually suffering from a skin disease, and he was signing executions for several people. Furthermore the political ties that the painting has to the French Revolution make it a very authentic Neo-classicism painting. Neo-classicism being the art movement which started in the 18th century was an unemotional form of art going back to the classical style of Greek and roman times. Neo-Classicism was a push away from the Frivolous Rococo style and the extremely emotionally charged Baroque style. Artist of this movement wished to revive interest in classical austerity and what they considered pure, to represent political truths and play a part in influencing the French Revolution. Bibliography “What is neo-classism” Answer.com. Answer. Stone. Mason. Web. 09. 2010 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_neo-classicism Monneret, Sophie. David and Neo-Classicism. Paris: Finest Sa/Editions Pierre Terrail, 1999. David, Jacques-Louis” ibiblio.org.web museum. Pioch, Nicloe. Web. 10. 2010 http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/david/ mediations on Marat” Orange tinted glasses.com. Orange tinted glasses. Leann Davis Alspaugh. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. http://orangetintedglasses.typepad.com/orangetinted_glasses/page/2/ “Neo-classicism and French Revolution, Jacques- Louis David: The Death of Marat.” Bc.edu.html. Bc.edu, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav_marat.html -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. “What is neo-classism” Answer.com. Answer. Stone. Mason. Web. 09. 2010 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_neo-classicism [ 2 ]. “David, Jacques-Louis” ibiblio.org.web museum. Pioch, Nicloe. Web. 10. 2010 http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/david/ [ 3 ]. “David, Jacques-Louis” ibiblio.org.web museum. Pioch, Nicloe. Web. 10. 2010 http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/david/ [ 4 ]. “David, Jacques-Louis” ibiblio.org.web museum. Pioch, Nicloe. Web. 10. 2010 http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/david/ [ 5 ]. “Neo-classicism and French Revolution, Jacques- Louis David: The Death of Marat.” Bc.edu.html. Bc.edu, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav_marat.html [ 6 ]. “Neo-classicism and French Revolution, Jacques- Louis David: The Death of Marat.” Bc.edu.html. Bc.edu, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav_marat.html [ 7 ]. “Neo-classicism and French Revolution, Jacques- Louis David: The Death of Marat.” Bc.edu.html. Bc.edu, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav_marat.html [ 8 ]. Girondin: a member of the moderate republican party that was in power during the French Revolution; the Girondists were overthrown by their more radical rivals the Jacobins (dictionary.com) [ 9 ]. “mediations on Marat” Orange tinted glasses.com. Orange tinted glasses. Leann Davis Alspaugh. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. http://orangetintedglasses.typepad.com/orangetinted_glasses/page/2/ [ 10 ]. mediations on Marat” Orange tinted glasses.com. Orange tinted glasses. Leann Davis Alspaugh. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. “http://orangetintedglasses.typepad.com/orangetinted_glasses/page/2/ [ 11 ]. Monneret, Sophie. David and Neo-Classicism. Paris: Finest Sa/Editions Pierre Terrail, 1999. [ 12 ]. Monneret, Sophie. David and Neo-Classicism. Paris: Finest Sa/Editions Pierre Terrail, 1999. [ 13 ]. Monneret, Sophie. David and Neo-Classicism. Paris: Finest Sa/Editions Pierre Terrail, 1999. [ 14 ]. Sans- culottes: in the French Revolution) a revolutionary of the poorer class: originally a term of contempt applied by the aristocrats but later adopted as a popular name by the revolutionaries. (Dictionary.com) [ 15 ]. Jacobin: (in the French Revolution) a member of a radical society or club of revolutionaries that promoted the Reign of Terror and other extreme measures, active chiefly from 1789 to 1794: so called from the Dominican convent in Paris, where they originally met. (dictionary.com) [ 16 ]. http://library.thinkquest.org/C006257/revolution/sans_culottes.shtml [ 17 ]. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/299007/Jacobin-Club [ 18 ]. “What is neo-classism” Answer.com. Answer. Stone. Mason. Web. 09. 2010 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_neo-classicism