Why Marat dead!?

The truth of Marat's death is......

The Death of Marat

馬哈之死

The Death of Marat
Jacques-Louis David, 1793
oil on canvas
162 × 128 cm
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels

Marat was stabbed on July 13 while writing in his bathtub by Charlotte Corday, a supporter of the more moderate Girondist faction who came to Paris from Normandy obsessed with the idea of killing the man she perceived as a "beast", in order "to save France", and got to approach him using the subterfuge of reporting traitors to the cause of the Revolution.

David was a close friend of Marat, as well as a strong supporter of Robespierre and the Jacobins. He was overwhelmed by their natural capacity for convincing crowds with their speeches, something he hadn't yet easily achieved through painting (not to mention his difficulty to speak, due to a facial deformation caused by an injury during a duel). Determined to memorialize his friend, David not only organized for him a lavish funeral, but painted his portrait soon afterwards.

Despite the haste in which the portrait of Marat was painted (the work was completed and presented to the National Convention less than four months after Marat's death), it is generally considered to be David's best work, a definite step towards modernity, and an inspired and inspiring political statement.

[Source: Wikipedia]

1. David use the contrast of light and shade to build the effect of stage, a spot light only shots on Marat's face, to light up the hero of revolution.

2. David even states the time and the name of the assassinate through the letter which is being held by Marat, actually, Marat never recieve this letter.

3. There is a dollor bill and a testate letter which is written on "Please give the dollor to a mother who has five children, her husband devoted his life tohomeland." It shows that Maratn has no regret on devoting his whole life to homeland.

Refferences and further readings:

The Death of Marat, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Jacques-Louis David:The Death of Marat, from Boston College

陳彬彬, (2008), 從零開始圖解西洋名畫, 台灣:晨星出版有限公司