"The Death of Marat", a Comparison.
The two pieces of art I have chosen are “The Death of Marat “by Jacques Louis David, painted in 1793 and Vik Muniz’ modern recreation of the same painting from his series of works “Pictures of Garbage” 2008. “The Death of Marat” by David http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav_marat.html Vik Muniz’ “Marat” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703440004575548581385394008.html
The most obvious comparison between these two works is the subject matter as one is a recreation of the other, though a recreation for a completely different reason to that which the original painting was created, and where one is a masterful oil painting from the eighteenth century the other is a powerful piece of photographic art. Jacques Louis David was probably the most influential and leading artist of the neo-classical period and a political propagandist of the French Revolution. His most famous work from this time is “The Death of Marat”. David career was completely tied up with the politic of the day and this is first noticed in his painting “The Oath of The Horatii”. Painted in 1784 “a number of historians have identified an element of pre-revolutionary radicalism and was seen as profoundly anti acadamie.” He soon joined the revolutionary “Jacobin Club” and was then commissioned to paint his first truly political painting “The Tennis Court Oath” which depicts the constitution of the national assembly at the royal tennis courts in the “Chateau of Versailles”. This historical event is said to have been a leading factor of the revolution and in turn the fall of the monarchy. As David became more deeply involved in politics he allied himself to “Robespierre” and “Marat” two prominent figures during the “reign of terror”. Marat, a journalist as well as friend and colleague of David is believed to be indirectly responsible for the deaths of countless “enemies of the revolution” by way of publicly condemning hundreds of people to the
The most obvious comparison between these two works is the subject matter as one is a recreation of the other, though a recreation for a completely different reason to that which the original painting was created, and where one is a masterful oil painting from the eighteenth century the other is a powerful piece of photographic art. Jacques Louis David was probably the most influential and leading artist of the neo-classical period and a political propagandist of the French Revolution. His most famous work from this time is “The Death of Marat”. David career was completely tied up with the politic of the day and this is first noticed in his painting “The Oath of The Horatii”. Painted in 1784 “a number of historians have identified an element of pre-revolutionary radicalism and was seen as profoundly anti acadamie.” He soon joined the revolutionary “Jacobin Club” and was then commissioned to paint his first truly political painting “The Tennis Court Oath” which depicts the constitution of the national assembly at the royal tennis courts in the “Chateau of Versailles”. This historical event is said to have been a leading factor of the revolution and in turn the fall of the monarchy. As David became more deeply involved in politics he allied himself to “Robespierre” and “Marat” two prominent figures during the “reign of terror”. Marat, a journalist as well as friend and colleague of David is believed to be indirectly responsible for the deaths of countless “enemies of the revolution” by way of publicly condemning hundreds of people to the