In the historical documentary, The Power of Art, Simon Schama's general thesis implies that the painter Jacques-Louis David's works acted as propaganda which helped effectively trigger the French revolution, yet also glorified the flaws of the revolution and act as a catalyst for the eventual corruption of Maximilien Robespierre. His pieces of artwork captivated the public with vivid details that discreetly attempted to motivate people into supporting the revolution, as shown in his work, "The Death of Marat," below:
Schama emphasizes that David's depiction of Marat's death was mostly made-up in order to address that "The Death of Marat" was not meant to accurately capture the moment of Marat's death; it's goal was to anger the public into joining the revolution due to their loss of an important revolutionary figure/writer. The painting's devastating tone perhaps aimed at provoking the public to rebel in retaliation of the murder. Schama recognizes this tactic of David's, but this encouragement towards the revolution also helped encourage the eventual terror yet to come.
David fully supported Robespierre and the goal of the revolution, but his loyalty blinded him to the fact that Robespierre had created the very monarchy he had sought to destroy forever. Schama also points out in the film David's visual depiction of the "ceremony of the Supreme Being." This event marked Robespierre's transition into madness and total corruption as a ruler. David failed to realize Robespierre's severe faults and continued to carry the revolution through his paintings by glorifying the ceremony of the "Supreme Being." This circumstance enhances Schama's thesis: David played a huge part in the eventual deterioration of the French Revolution. His propagandist strategies worked for a while, but the results that emerged from his works helped lead the revolution into violent, chaotic savagery.
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