Jacques-Louis David (1748–1825) was the leading artist of the Neoclassical style and is often considered the “official artist” of the French Revolution.

This painting commemorates the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat, a radical journalist and revolutionary leader. He suffered from a debilitating skin condition and often worked from a medicinal bath, where he was ultimately murdered by Charlotte Corday, a sympathizer of the opposition.

Despite the grim and domestic nature of the scene, David transforms Marat into a secular martyr, elevating his death to one of quiet nobility and sacrifice. The composition echoes traditional Christian martyrdom imagery, recalling the pietà or Christ-like figures.

David remained faithful to many documented details—including the writing desk, the bloodied knife, and the letter from Corday—allowing the viewer to reconstruct the event almost like a forensic report.

By eliminating all nonessential elements, David focuses on simplicity, clarity, and grandeur. The stark, idealized figure of Marat, rendered with classical modeling, emphasizes calm dignity rather than suffering, underscoring the Neoclassical ideal of virtue over emotion.

A Political Tribute: David was a personal friend of Marat and an active supporter of the Jacobins, the most radical revolutionary faction. He used this painting as a propaganda tool, presenting Marat not as a political agitator, but as a peaceful victim and martyr of the revolution. David’s Death of Marat serves as a precursor to Goya’s Third of May, 1808, which is widely considered the first direct propaganda image that presents the victim as the moral center of the composition.

David’s Oath of the Horatii powerfully conveys revolutionary ideals, emphasizing duty, patriotism, and sacrifice for the greater good. Based on a story from the Roman historian Livy, the scene depicts three brothers pledging allegiance to their father and their state, committing to fight against a rival family—even though their opponents include relatives by marriage.

The painting promotes loyalty to the republic above personal emotions, presenting the male figures as stoic and heroic. They are arranged in a rhythmic, statuesque formation, their bodies tense and idealized, yet rendered with intense realism, especially in the detailed depiction of flesh and muscle. The composition is structured with clarity: the action unfolds parallel to the picture plane within a stark, austere architectural space.

In stark contrast, the women on the right are portrayed as emotionally distraught, collapsed in grief. Their softer, curved forms and slumped postures symbolize private emotions such as love and familial attachment—values that are subordinated to civic duty in this narrative.

David uses sharp, directional lighting to heighten the drama, casting deep shadows that emphasize the moral gravity of the scene. This painting became an emblem of Neoclassicism and a visual manifesto for Enlightenment and Revolutionary values.

Thomas Jefferson, a devoted Classicist and Enlightenment thinker, designed the University of Virginia as a model for democratic education. Drawing heavily from ancient Roman and Greek architectural principles, Jefferson helped establish the "Greek Revival" style as a defining feature of American public architecture.

Jefferson believed architecture could express political and philosophical ideals. The centerpiece of the university, the Rotunda, was directly inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, which Jefferson considered the architectural embodiment of rational design. However, Jefferson scaled it to half the size of the Pantheon to suit the university’s needs—both physically and symbolically. While the Pantheon served the Roman gods, Jefferson’s Rotunda would serve reason and learning.

The Rotunda’s dome and portico reflect Classical harmony and balance, reinforcing Jefferson’s belief in the alignment of beauty, order, and democratic ideals. As the university’s library, the Rotunda occupied the symbolic heart of the campus, signifying that knowledge—not religion—was the guiding force of the new republic.

The overall campus design includes:

• A rectangular Academical Village, bounded by one-story colonnades.

• Pavilions for professors that combined living and teaching spaces, each with a unique Classical design.

• Student rooms along the colonnades, promoting interaction and community.

• The entire layout reflected Jefferson’s belief in equality among scholars and accessibility of education.

Jefferson called the University of Virginia “the hobby of my old age,” and it was among the three accomplishments he chose to be inscribed on his tombstone—alongside the Declaration of Independence and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.