Why Marat Died in the Bathroom: The Greatest Mystery of Neoclassicism and the Mystery of a Revolutionary's Illness

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Jacques-Louis David is one of those who created a revolution in the art of the 18th century. He became a pioneer of a new direction of painting, called neoclassical, and his landmark work "Death of Marat" contains both political overtones and the personal tragedy of the deceased journalist. Why is the hero of the picture depicted in a bathtub and what have scientists and doctors been arguing about for 200 years?

Leafing through the French engravings of the 70s and 80s of the 18th century, you vividly feel how the upcoming events were being prepared. You begin to understand why people hug each other, why they cry with tears of friendship. They have a premonition: they will not have much time to enjoy the light of the sun. The dictum of the Marquise Pompadour: "After us, even a flood" - has become a terrible reality.

Death of Marat

The painting "The Death of Marat" in question reflects the genuine horror of death. It was completed in 1793, four years after the start of the French Revolution. Death of Marat is a politically charged work dedicated to an important event of the era. In this case, it is the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat, a radical political theorist, friend of David and a key figure in the French Revolution. Revolutionary ideas were also largely shaped by the 18th century Enlightenment. During this time, philosophers, writers and other intellectuals flocked to Paris, where they discussed, wrote and disseminated their ideas in the form of brochures, books and newspapers. Former physician and scientist Jean-Paul Marat abandoned his practice in favor of journalism and founded the newspaper L'Ami du peuple (People's Friend) in 1789 to denounce the revolutionaries.

From a political point of view, Marat's views coincide with the Jacobins, one of the most radical parties. Subsequently, he would become the leader of this group, which would lead him to disagreement with the Girondins, another revolutionary group that Marat regularly "attacked" from his prominent platform. He was an advocate of the lower classes and published his fervent views in pamphlets and newspapers. As expected, Marat's conspicuous criticism of some influential individuals and groups in France made him a prime target for opponents. In 1790, he narrowly escaped arrest. Many times he was forced to hide. And in 1793 he was killed in his own house.

Bloody day July 13, 1793

On July 13, 1793, Marat was doing his journalism in the bathroom as usual. For this purpose, a special bathtub with a table was designed. The fact is that Marat suffered from a chronic skin disease, due to which he had to spend long hours in a medicinal bath. On one of these days, a guest came to him, which was reported by his wife. It was Charlotte Corday, who expressed a desire to share confidential information with Marat with a group of fugitive Girondins. Contrary to the wishes of his wife, Marat nevertheless invited the stranger to the bath for a conversation. At the end of the conversation, Gironde's secret supporter Corday unexpectedly drove a 5-inch into the very heart of Marat, and then hid in his house, where she was later found, arrested and executed with a guillotine. Marat, a close friend of Jacques-Louis David, was entrusted with two tasks: to organize a funeral and paint a picture with a scene of death.

Composition and details

Like David's other neoclassical paintings, Death of Marat has a perfectly balanced composition. Marat and his bathtub form a horizontal plane in the foreground, which accentuates the minimalist backdrop of the stage. The whole picture resembles a theatrical production: the background played a role and also advantageously organized accents (the main character, the bloody weapon and the note). As if a moment from a play was captured in David's colors.

Marat holds a letter in one hand, which Corday used to get permission to see Marat. The letter reads: "July 13, 1793 Marie Anne Charlotte Corday to Mr. Marat:" I am unhappy, and therefore I have the right to your protection. " The composition of Marat's hanging hand is very interesting. The fact is that David admired the work of Caravaggio, and especially his work "Entombment". The painting also shows the hanging hand of Christ. It is likely that she became a source of inspiration for David. It is no exaggeration to say that David painted Marat as a deliberate attempt to evoke a Christ-like image. In his Death of Marat, David used a straightforward and uncompromising style. Specific accents. No additional details about the interior, time of day, status or origin of the person. Like Christ Caravaggio, we see only the half-naked figure of the tragic martyr.

Details of the disease

After the murder of the French revolutionary in the bathroom, many doctors and scientists wondered - why did Marat spend so much time in the bathroom? A dangerous profession often forced Marat to run and hide. He spent years hiding in attics and even in the Parisian sewers to escape his enemies. There is an opinion that it was precisely being in the sewer that led to the fact that Marat contracted an infectious skin disease. But by 1793, Marat finally had a stable home and the ability to treat an increasingly painful skin condition. During the last months of his life, he sought relief from itchy blistered skin in extended bath treatments where he worked and received visits from friends and guests. The bathroom was diluted with minerals and medicinal syrups to ease the pain. The bandana, which was wrapped around the head, was soaked in vinegar to relieve discomfort.

Based on modern DNA research (from the surviving papers of Marat), scientists suggest that Marat suffered from a fungal infection, subsequently infected with bacteria, which led to an itchy condition. The presumptive diagnosis is seborrheic dermatitis. Thus, the only salvation during life - a bath - later became the tragic place of death of a revolutionary journalist.