For this week's art, I wanted to use La Mort de Marat (which is French for The Death of Marat), but I couldn't remember what it was called, so I typed "french painter suicide" into Google (I realize now that Marat didn't commit suicide, he was assassinated). Anyways, having typed this into Google, I discovered way more suicidal French artists than I was aware of. Seriously though, French artists, lay off the wine or something. You're in France! You're an artist! Be happier about it. Anyways, I did eventually find it (not before almost giving up and going with a Van Gogh painting) and discovered that Marat was assassinated by Charlotte Corday in 1793.
The Death of Marat, Jacques-Louis David, 1793. Oil on Canvas. Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels.
I suppose the painting does need a little explanation. Jean-Paul Marat was a French Revolutionary writer and speaker, and the aristocrats blamed him for the September Massacres (which is why Charlotte Corday killed him- "I killed one man to save 100,000"). On the other hand, artist Jacques-Louis David idolized Marat because of his public speaking abilities (David had a big tumor on his face as a result of a fencing accident, so it was difficult for him to talk). Now, why Marat is in the bathtub is a good story. Marat took a lot of cool baths because his skin was very itchy. It was a symptom of a skin disease he contracted when he fled to the sewers of Paris to hide out from his enemies. Pretty crazy, huh? The sewers are definitely not the place I'd go if I was hiding, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
Now for a new Quote of the Week. I'm not really in the mood for anything inspirational (why are there so many inspirational quotes on the internet? People keep entire websites of happy, inspiring quotes by anyone and everyone, but you try to find something negative and poof! there's nothing. I did eventually find something, though. Also, I like the word "knave".
History, n. an account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools.
-Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
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