St. Roch Praying to the Virgin for an End to the Plague 1780

Jacques Louis David painted “St. Roch Praying to the Virgin for an End to the Plague” with oil on canvas sometime between 1779 and 1780. David created this work during a time of intense social change and it reflects the pervasive fears about public health and the reliance on religious intervention during widespread epidemics. Here, we see St. Roch kneeling, his body angled towards the Virgin Mary and Christ Child who appear on a cloud above. Below them, the destitute suffer, their bodies twisted in agony. David masterfully depicts the emotional intensity of the scene, capturing the desperation of the sick and dying. The artist uses religious narratives to speak to the deep-seated anxieties of his time. David situates the miraculous alongside the brutal realities of the plague, highlighting the class divisions present in 18th-century France. The painting becomes an emotional commentary on social suffering, reflecting the yearnings for divine intervention in the face of human tragedy.