Lesson 3 - Schama - David

This week's assignment was to watch and analyze the film, "Simon Schama's Power of Art: David".  I felt that the assignment was as much a history lesson on the French Revolution as it was a film about the French painter, Jacques-Louis David.  But, I do enjoy Schama's style of narrating, therefore I was a willing participant in this dual lesson.

I have chosen to narrow my focus on David's role in capturing the imagery of this tumultuous time in French history.

I was fascinated to discover that David had suffered a facial injury from a sword-fight.  The disfigurement affected his speech, so he spoke very little, which may have also helped him find his place in society as one of the common people of France.

Although he was less than chatty, his imagination was filled with thoughts of succumbing to authority, likely inspired by his visit to the ruins of Rome.  As Schama described the impact these ruins had on David, he said, "liberty had surrendered to despotism and the Romans had become slaves".  This message was one that David carried with him, as it certainly resonated in his art.  David wanted to change the world.

Politics were exploding in late 18th century France, and the filmmakers did a tremendous job of symbolizing this with the music, images of lightning storms brewing, and blood running thick in the streets.  In 1789, David sketched "The Tennis Court Oath" which depicted the French revolution as a force of nature, a storm of it's own kind.  He captured representatives gathered and rallied together to bring a new France to power.  The empty space captured in the drawing was filled with light, suggesting hope and ideas larger than any one person.  Although the sketch was intended to become a painting, it was never finished.

During this time, David also painted "The Lictors Returning to Brutus the Bodies of his Sons", another Roman representation of the (then) modern France.  His subjects certainly represented the numerous be-headings of those who wavered in their political beliefs,   Many of those executions were at the hand of Jean-Paul Marat, whose patriotism went to the point of conspiracy theory.  David himself had a hand in many executions, as he signed orders for deaths of those who did not share the strong political opinions of the 'new' France.

And then came the very controversial painting where he was said to have glorified a paranoid fanatic, "The Death of Marat".  When Marat was murdered by Marianne Charlotte Corday, David declared that he would honor the deceased patriot in a painting.  Instead of a Roman figure, Marat was portrayed as a hero and a saint, yet also one of the people. The stab wound was said to 'Christ-like' as it mimicked the wound Jesus had when he was crucified.   David saw his finished work as a moral re-education, much like works of art in a church, telling stories of important events.  He had hoped to better the citizens of France when they viewed it, but instead, it had a much different effect.

His work did, however, capture the attention of Napoleon, as the dictator desperately needed an artist like David to glamorize him and 'sell' him to the public.  Unfortunately, when Napoleon's reign ended, so did David's.  When the monarchy was restored, David was banished from the country for his Napoleon support.

Even after his death in Brussels, the French wanted nothing to do with him and refused requests to have his body buried back in France.

Even Simon Schama didn't like Jacques-Louis David, which I found quite ironic.  He stated, "he's a monster, but he makes ideas blaze in dry ice.  He is a fantastic propagandist - no one better".  I am not surprised that I am not the only one who doesn't care for the likes of David, but I, too, share a respect for what he was able to create.