Pictures in Focus: The Death of Marat (1793) and Napoleon in His
Study (1812) A comparative study The painter Jacques-Louis David
(1748–1825) was both a revolutionary and an artist. He was an
active supporter of the French Revolution and later appointed
First Painter to the Emperor Napoleon. Neither Marat or Napoleon
posed for the portraits by David shown on this page. David has
used both the men and their portraits as symbols of larger
social and civic ideals. In The Death of Marat by David and his
studio the dying revolutionary becomes a martyred hero of the
people while Napoleon is portrayed, not as a conquering hero,
but as the hard-working and tireless leader of France. Studio of
Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Marat. Oil on canvas, 162.5 x
130 Marat was the fiery editor-in-chief of the revolutionary
newspaper L’Ami du people and a friend of Robespierre, one of
the leaders of the Reign of Terror. Marat suffered from a skin
disease and spent long hours in the bath where he worked and
received visitors.