Why this Poignant Painting is One of the Most Powerful in Art History

When art, friendship and politics meet

The Death of Marat (1793) by Jacques-Louis David. Oil on canvas. 165 × 128 cm. Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium. Image source Wikimedia Commons

Every now and then, a painting manages to convey a potent and convincing message in starkly simple terms.

This arresting painting, made by the French Neoclassical artist Jacques-Louis David, does just that.