If the French Revolution had an official painter, it was Jacques-Louis David—although “official propagandist” is a much more accurate term. This program follows David’s career from his early ambitions as a Prix de Rome scholar to the actions that defined him, morally and artistically, during the reigns of Robespierre and Napoleon. With The Death of Marat as its centerpiece, the program studies The Portrait of Monsieur Lavoisier and His Wife, The Oath of the Horatii, The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons, a self-portrait painted in prison, and other works. Simon Schama presents this powerful examination of David’s political opportunism and his talent for solidifying ideology in immortal works of art. (52 minutes)