Death Of Marat Essay

The French Revolution was a chaotic time of blood, death, and fear. Though there were many negative outcomes and events of the Revolution, it big change to sweep across France. The Revolution began in the middle of 1789 with the swearing of the Tennis Court Oath, in which members of the third estate, as well as some from the first and second estates, swore that they would not go anywhere until they had written a constitution for France. Then, the Revolution really took off, and continued on for years. Many people influenced the Revolution, such as Marat and Robespierre. The death of Marat was another event that had a large influence on the Revolution, as though he had caused lots of deaths, he was stilled viewed as a hero by most. Looking at the two paintings “The Tennis Court Oath,” and “The Death of Marat,” “The Tennis Court Oath” depicts a more significant and relevant event, as this was the event to really cause the French Revolution to take off.

Many attribute the evolution of the French revolution as the catalyst for redirection of the style of artwork from Baroque and Rococo to Neoclassical and Romanticism. Two leading masterpieces that support this aspect are respectively: Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, (c. 1784) and Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, (c. 1830). As commented in Essential Humanities (2016), the French revolution “in all its heroic glory and grisly destruction” (par. 10) is masterfully portrayed in Delacroix 's personification of liberty. In addition, the summons for commitment to the cause of freedom is classically rendered in David 's vow of victory or death. Within this essay both of these paintings are examined in regards to their connection to the French revolution.

The ominous figure in the centre of the foreground - Jesus Christ hanging lifeless on the cross, in Luca di Tommè’s ‘The Crucifixion’, primarily catches the eye. The symmetrical arrangement of lamenting figures around the cross, as well as the gilded background, highlight him as the focal point of this artwork.

Maximilien Robespierre has always been known to be controversial and misunderstood. He was the face of the French Revolution. In accordance with the Jacobins, they controlled the time known as the Reign of Terror, due to their influence in the accumulation of murders of those opposed to the revolution. Reign of Terror was a symbolic time period within the French Revolution that involved corruption of power and influence and mass executions. With Robespierre at the forefront, he became one of the most important men in the Revolution. As soon as Maximilien Robespierre decided to react to enemies of the revolutions, mass execution being his choice of force; his implementation of the Reign of Terror was a villainous act striking those who

Jacobins= Republican radicals led by a new generation of revolutionaries Robespierre, Danton, Marat, and Duke of Orleans (Philippe

Robespierre created the Committee of Public Safety. Anyone who was considered enemy of the revolution had the tendency to be arrested, thousands of people died, the period from 5 September 1793 to 28 July 1794 was denominated Reign of Terror, the whole nation was mobilized for war, any invading army was defeated, the citizens started feeling increasingly insecure. The Jacobins did not accept any criticism; they were isolated from society, lost the support of the sans-culottes and attracted the rage of the bourgeoisie and the marsh. It was considered

The Reign of Terror was a period of violence that succeeded the beginning of the French Revolution; it was caused by conflict between two rival political parties, and tens of thousands were executed by guillotine on account of being ‘enemies of the revolution’. The French Revolution started with the storming of the Bastille, and since then the government had been in a state of constant turmoil. Civil war broke out in multiple regions and various foreign countries started attacking France on all sides; a man named Maximilien Robespierre, who belonged to a radical group known as the Jacobins, saw his chance and seized the government along with his fellow extremists. The Jacobins felt that “it was their duty to preserve the revolution, even if it meant violence and terror” which

The extraordinary intensification of the ‘Reign of Terror’ and Maximillian de Robespierre’s dictatorship caused him to loose numerous followers. Subsequently, members of the Revolutionary government started suspecting Robespierre’s motives, as there were no more threats from enemies outside the country. Soon, he called for another purge and he was believed to be threatening members of the Committee of Public Safety. The Jacobins grew tired of his reckless actions and in that moment Cambon rose in the Convention and said, "…It is time to tell the whole truth. One man alone is paralyzing the will of the Convention. And that man is Robespierre." He gained followers immediately and so a group of moderates and revolutionaries formed together to justify Robespierre’s ruthless actions and soon it was decided to overthrow him and his

Michelangelo’s creation is his interpretation of the biblical figure of David. “The brave David stands in a tense manner, with one leg relaxed while the other holds its total body weight. Hence, this causes his shoulders and hips to rest at an opposite angle. Moreover, David’s head turns towards his left, and he is carrying a sling at his back. With all these features, many people regard the sculpture as a symbol of youthful beauty and human strength (History).” “Michelangelo’s hero is at rest, in a moment of calm anticipation before confronting Goliath (Sayre, 327).” The lack of movement and straight posture shows balance and clarity within the sculpture, which is why most people would consider this piece of art work ethos. “In contrast, Bernini’s sculpture captures the young hero in the midst of action. David’s body twists in an elaborate spiral, creating dramatic contrasts of light and shadow. His teeth are clenched, and his muscles strain as he prepares to launch the fatal rock (Sayre, 327).” Bernini’s David uses the characteristic of emotion and motion to label his sculpture as pathos. “Bernini’s David uses the space around it – reaching out into the space of

Prior to the time period of 1793-1795, the less radical group of the two branches of Jacobins, known as the Girondists, led the Legislative Assembly to declare war on Austria on April 20, 1792. This declaration of war against Austria further led to France’s war with Western Europe which included Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, Spain, Sardinia, and Holland who later created the First Coalition, an alliance between these countries to protect their social structures and political systems. The war against the majority of Europe brought threat to the achievements of the Revolution. In order to protect these achievements, France transitioned into an era of radicalness and began executing the mass of inhabitants that were painted as enemies of the

Through his Bronze David, 1430, Donatello documents a biblical character in a form that captures the ideals of the Italian Renaissance. The five foot and two inch piece recreates the moment after the human hero David slays Goliath whose head lies at his feet. The structure, Figure 1, not only celebrates the use of human wit and potential, but David’s nudity emphasizes the human body’s physical grace. In addition, the figure’s bareness is accentuated by the calf length boots and large hat. The use of the free standing style allows the human form to be appreciated at every angle. This quintessential instance of human heroism is documented by the artist and articulated by the sculpture with an air of nonchalance. The poetic and heroic indifference and self-satisfaction expressed in Donatello’s David is classified as sprezzatura. Sprezzatura is the idyllic attitude of a human

The Jacobins served as the primary promoters of republicanism during the French Revolution, and they passed various reforms to promote equality and personal freedom during their brief control of France. However, they ushered in the Reign of Terror, a period of time when the Jacobins sought out and executed anyone whose political beliefs differed even slightly from their own. The club was originally founded by Breton representatives to the Estates General of 1789, but it eventually expanded beyond Brittany until there were chapter houses throughout France. The name Jacobin comes the fact that they met in Paris in a Dominican monastery; the monks of this order were also called Jacobins because their first house was on the Rue St. Jacques. The

The once kind Louis XVI had us Jacobins against him for the whole trial for multiple different reasons. One reason was that he had give up on his duties as king. After the “third estate had set out in Sieyes’s pamphlet and declared itself the National Assembly” (Mason 25) they eventually formed the Legislative Assembly which, became in charge of France at that time. During this period in time they replaced everyone in office with citizens who

Not only did David want to do this but his artistic viewpoints wanted him to reflect the use of propaganda to others through art in the Neoclassical era. In other words, he wanted to depict through the painting how politics during the French Revolution were taken sternly and had serious repercussions in a sort of misleading way. In the same way, if you did not fit into the rest of society and you stood out you were labeled as a target. As we see Marat was murdered by Corday who was seen as his political enemy. In the meantime, through the style of David’s painting we see the use of iconography or “the study or description of images and symbols” . Here in this painting of The Death of Marat we see the main image (i.e. Marat) being used as more than just the centerpiece of the work rather, the symbol of the work which means there is more to this work than just The Death of Marat. Strangely enough, we can see the use of iconography when comparing The Death of Marat to an almost political Christ of his people. Meaning that Marat was killed for his religious beliefs/political beliefs and died for his people as that of Christ did with his religious beliefs. Incidentally, we can say that “David’s clear sympathies for Marat and his transformation of the politician into a timeless martyr” or someone who sacrifices their life for not believing in Marat’s case the political beliefs of the others in

The revolutions of 1830 and 1848 sparked a steady stream of political artwork showing scenes of battle and rebellious uprising. Eugene Delacroix’s portrait of Liberty Leading the People, 29 July 1830 reflects the events of the French banded together from varying classes in battle following a bare breasted Liberty. Ernest Meissonier’s painting The Barricade in Rue Mortellerie, Paris, June 1848 is a sad image of a drab Parisian street with dead revolutionaries as a result of social class fighting.