Various components of the painting symbolize Marat as having a religious pathos making him appear saint-like. In the Catholic society, saints are seen as superior figures in society that the community is meant to respect and emulate. During the French Revolution, Christianity was abolished making it impossible for Marat to be a saint. However, David depicted Marat as being saint-like so that the third estate would see him as a respectful leader that should be praised. David used a religious pathos to make a beneficial political statement about Marat. The painting has a lot of open space. Marat’s face the focal point, because it is the first object to appear out of the painting. The light and the expression on his face make him look calm and peaceful. Even though he has just been stabbed, his tranquil face makes him appear saintly because he has no fear of death. Marat has died for a noble cause. The painting also has a small spectrum of colors consisting mostly of white and brown tones. Marat’s body is pale and covered in white sheets, but the background of the painting is mostly dark tones which contrast with Marat’s body. This affect makes Marat become even more prominent in the painting. The white sheets around his body and on his head give Marat purity. The sheets make him appear more divine and glorify his death, because they suggest that Marat was an excellent leader that thought about the benefit of the Revolution before anything else. In David’s painting Marat appears to meet all of the requirements to being a saint. Marat is venerable because he is surrounded by the work of the Revolution in the painting. Marat was very heroic to be leading the people to a republic, because with so many different view points in the Revolution he, consequently, formed many enemies. In the painting, Marat also appears to have a miracle attributed to him. He has the light shinning down upon him, making him look angelic. Marat helped France to become a horizontal government which is a miracle because he gave people freedom and the ability to have control over their own country. Lastly, Marat is a martyr because he died for the Revolution. This is displayed as the deep gouge on Marat’s chest and the blood in the painting. Marat died for the Revolution and became one of its immortal icons. Through the symbolism in the painting Marat is displayed as being saintly.
The few objects in the painting, the box, writing utensil, and letter, are very symbolic and important objects because they depict Marat’s a revolutionary ethos. The use of space in the painting is very simple. Marat is only surrounded by a few belongings which David wanted Marat to be associated with. The box that Marat has his paperwork on is directly in front of the green cloth that covers Marat’s bath. This makes the light brown box that Marat has his work on become very prominent. By doing this the box looks very sturdy and unbreakable. This is symbolic for Marat’s dedication to the Revolution. The box shows that Marat was always working for the revolution even when he was sick and forced to stay in his bath. The writing utensil in his right hand is extremely noticeable, despite its shady surroundings. Even the letter in his left hand and the papers under his arm are accentuated to stress the seriousness of Marat’s work. David wanted the audience to be able to see the physical state of Marat when he was assassinated. Even though various items that were really in the room where left out of the painting, David wanted the community to associate Marat with the work and dedication of the Revolution. David also wanted Marat to be remembered by these objects because they make him appear as though his life was devoted to the revolution.
By adding remnants of Corday and by using specific coloring and lighting, David made a political statement to degrade the Girondians. David wanted to defile the Girondians in his painting because of their opposing viewpoints and because they killed Marat. The darkness in the painting is associated with the Girondians. Most of the canvas of the painting has been painted in darker tons. Where there are darker tons of colors, there are also ruminants of how Corday killed Marat. The knife Corday used to stab Marat is placed on the dark floor. The knife is also very hard to see itself. Even Marat’s chest, where he was stabbed, is darker than the rest of his body. Because she was a Girondians, Corday thought she was serving France by killing Marat, but the painting expresses how even though Marat was killed, the other leaders of the Mountain faction would continue to support and enforce his ideas. David was telling his audience that the Girondians would never be successful in winning the Revolution because the will of Marat’s followers was greater than the Girondians could ever be. The uneven parts of the lighting on the top of the canvas suggest betrayal by Corday against the Revolution, because Corday tainted the community by killing one of its popular leaders. Marat represents the light colors which are pure and good, while Corday represents the dark colors that could possibly ruin the French Revolution and all it stands for.
David knew that his painting would be displayed in public, which gave him great power to persuade the ideas of the community. Because of the influence he had, David depicted Marat as having a revolutionary ethos. In his painting, Marat á son dernier soupiralso, David also gives Marat a religious pathos because it makes him appear like a saintly martyr that died for the revolution. David makes a political statement against the Girondians and Corday. During the turmoil of the Revolution, the Girondians were a faction from the National Assembly. They were a bourgeois group that wanted to protect their property and economic freedom. However, the Mountain faction favored and fought for equal sovereignty between classes. After many years of fighting the Mountain faction dominated and France became a Republic. Amongst all of the chaos, Marat’s death helped the third estate fight for their equality and to overthrow the monarchy.
