Charlotte Corday (painting)
| Charlotte Corday | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Paul Baudry |
| Year | 1860 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas, history painting |
| Dimensions | 203 cm × 154 cm (80 in × 61 in) |
| Location | Fine Arts Museum of Nantes, Nantes |
Charlotte Corday is an 1860 history painting by the French artist Paul Baudry. It depicts the aftermath of the assassination of French Revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday on 13 July 1793. Corday, a supporter of the rival Girondist faction, stabbed Marat to death while he was in his bath. The scene had previously been depicted by Jacques-Louis David's Neoclassical The Death of Marat While David's focus was on the slain Marat, Baudry shifts this to emphasise the emotions of his killer Corday.[1] By the time Baudry produced the work, Corday who was executed shortly after the assassination, had come to be seen as a popular martyr. This is illustrated by the map of France on the wall, suggesting Corday has saved the nation from the oppressive Marat.[2]
The painting was displayed at the Salon of 1861 in Paris. Today it is in the collection of the Fine Arts Museum in Nantes, having been acquired the same year. [3]
References
- ^ Huntsman p.32
- ^ Gilbert p.161
- ^ https://pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/joconde/07430003703
Bibliography
- Gilbert, Pamela K. Victorian Skin: Surface, Self, History. Cornell University Press, 2019.
- Huntsman, Penny. Thinking About Art: A Thematic Guide to Art History. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.