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<p align="center"><a href="http://www.artandperception.com/v01/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/gericault-raft_of_the_medusa.jpg">http://www.artandperception.com/v01/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/gericault-raft_of_the_medusa.jpg</a></p>
<p align="center">The Raft Of the Medusa</p>
<p align="center">By Theodore Gericault</p>
                                                                                                           1818-1819

The Raft of the Medusa is an oil painting by the French Romantic painter and lithographer Theodore Gericault (1791-1824) that captures a moment from the aftermath of the shipwreck of the French naval frigate <em>Meduse </em>that ran aground off the coast of today’s Mauritania on July 5, 1816. At least 147 people were left in distress, all but fifteen died in the thirteen days before their rescue, and those who survived endured starvation, dehydration, cannibalism, and madness. The French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars brought great changes to the arts in France. Theodore Gericault was one of the most disturbing figures of French Romanticism. His visuals of death, violence, monomania, and extreme psychological states make his paintings and lithographs both horrifying and utterly compelling which is why The Raft of the Medusa should be preserved for future generations.<!--more-->

The Raft of the Medusa is a larger than life oil painting that depicts the aftermath of the wreckage of a French naval ship. Considered one of the darkest works of art of it’s time, Gericault painted a horrid picture of violence and death. At least 147 people perished while fifteen others were left at sea for thirteen of the longest days of their lives. Before being rescued, survivors of the wreck were subjected to starvation, dehydration and the unfortunate woes of cannibalism.

The nineteenth century was a time for the “emotional art movement”, better known as Romanticism. It was a revolt against the aristocratic, social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment, although the word “romantic” is found in this particular movement, the works of art were anything but. Artists of all walks, not just painters, but writers and musicians as well, used strong emotions conveying horror, terror and a placed heavy emphasis on apprehension. They wanted to embrace the “unfamiliar” and create a vivid and exotic way to escape from the stale world that surrounded them.

Intended to exhibit at The Salon in 1819, Gericault’s <em>The Raft of the Medusa </em>was the epitome of horrific imagination. His obsession with violence, monomania and pushing the boundaries of the human psyche are what made all of his works a fascinating vision. No other artist during this period embraced terror and brutality with such beauty as Theodor Gericault. His version of the deadly shipwreck was not just created out of thin air.

He took the time to interview those that lived to tell the story, created figurines and studied severed cadavers in his studio. He even used his friends as models in order to create a more realistic painting. Two figures of despair and solitude, one mourning his son and one “bewailing” his own fate were one of many visuals included in his work. He painted the bodies with strong yet cruel characteristics given by a Caravaggio-style.

Unfortunately for Gericault, and most daring visionaries, the critics were not as impressed with his “in your face” style of work. Although it created a horrific appeal to the eye, those devoted to Classicism expressed their disgust for what they described as “ a pile of corpses” and a “far cry from ideal beauty incarnated by Girodet’s <em>Pygmalion and Galatea</em>.”(www.louvre.fr/en/node/33615LouvreMuseumParisAuthor-SeverineLaborie) A quote by a man only given by the last name Coupin in an article in <em>Le Journal de Paris </em>also gave some negative light on Gericault’s painting. “Monsieur Gericault seems mistaken. The goal of painting is to speak to the soul and the eyes, not repel.”(Le Journal de Paris)

In my eyes, it is the same as anything that is considered to have crossed the “lines of obscenity” in our culture even now in the twenty-first century. Now, as it was then, people are always afraid of something that pushes the limits of law, regulations, free speech and sex. From the “free love” movement and Vietnam protest in the sixties and early seventies, to today’s political views of Michael Moore and the “sexual deviance” of Fifty Shades of Grey. Those with closed minds can not accept ideals from outside the box and tend to either run from or attack change and things they do not understand.

If the devotes of the Classicism era would have taken the time to get to know Gericault’s piece, they would have been able to look past the awe-stricken body of work. They would have looked past the lack of heroism and understood that the beauty lies in it’s horror. In a time where the peak of the era was associated with liberalism and radicalism, it was just time for the “nay-sayers” to accept the change and broaden their own minds. They needed to become part of this ground-breaking movement that inspired people to be different and made spontaneity a desired trait.

Another prime body of work in the era of <em>The Raft of the Medusa</em>, is that of Eugene Delacroixs’ <em>The Barque of Dante</em>. <em>The Raft of the Medusa </em>inspired Delacroix to produce this particular work which was accepted by The Salon in 1822. The painting is loosely based on fictional events taken from Canto VIII of Dante’s Inferno. With the blazing City of the Dead as a backdrop, and the dark murky waters of the River Styx underneath, you can easily detect the similarities and influence <em>The Raft of the Medusa </em>had on Delacroixs’ <em>The Barque of Dante.</em> If you look at both works closely, even the faces of the men are strikingly similar. There is such raw emotion in this painting. We are looking at a world of chaos and insanity.

Delacroix spent nearly three months of non-stop, extremely long hour days to get his painting ready for the April opening of The Salon in 1822, and by the time it was complete he was exhausted. The work was exhibited with this title: “Dante et Virgile conduits par Phlegias, traversent le lac qui entoure les murailles de la ville infernale de Dite..” which translated was: “Dante and Virgil led by Phlegyas, across the lake surrounding the infernal city walls of Dis” (mydailyartdisplay.wordpress.com/thebarqueofdante-Eugene-Delacroix/)

In conclusion, <em>The Raft of the Medusa </em>was not only innovative for it’s time but remains iconic to this very day. The way Gericault pushed boundaries with his obsession of violence and the human psyche, makes this piece undeniably fascinating. He set the tone for future artists to embrace the unfamiliar and horrific. Nobody comes across this painting and just glances over it and moves along. <em>The Raft of the Medusa </em>draws you in and demands your full undivided attention. It asks profound questions about the nature of survival, sanity, and the miracle of human resilience when faced with the unforgiving power of nature, as well as the inner-struggle for meaning and purpose we all face. This amazing and consistently impressive piece of work has stood the test of time, making it fully worthy of being preserved for future generations.

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Works Cited List

(intertheory.org/slavkin.htm) this particular site helped with the basic storyline of the wreck.

(<a href="http://www.louvre.fr/en/node/35615/LouvreMuseumParis-author-Severine">www.louvre.fr/en/node/35615/LouvreMuseumParis-author-Severine</a> Laborie) this particular site helped me with what was typical of the era and specific descriptions of characters in the painting.

(Le Journal de Paris) this particular site helped with the criticism of the painting and how it was received.

(mydailyartdisplay.wordpress.com/thebarqueofdante-Eugene-Delacroix/) this particular site helped me with comparing it to another work of it's time.