David

Power of Art episode four sees acclaimed scholar and author Simon Schama tell the tale of an artist, an artwork, and a bloody revolution. Jacques Louis David's ''Death of Marat'' is the defining image of the French Revolution. But for decades it was hidden away, ignored and almost feared. Schama travels to France to discover what made this brutal painting so dangerous. At age seven, David was orphaned by a duel and trained by his uncle, Francois Boucher, in the art of bonbonniere. He rose to become Napoleon's court painter. ''Death of Marat'' depicts the assassination of French revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat and now hangs in Brussels’ Musée Oldmasters Museum. There Sir Simon poses the question, Is it art or propaganda? You decide.