His Early Days

Theodore Gericault (1791-1824) was a French painter and was among those who pioneered the Romantic movement of painting. He was born in Rouen, France in 1791. Gericault was born rich and his independent wealth enabled him to indulge in his twin passions, namely, painting and horses. He possessed a flamboyant and passionate personality. In 1808, he joined the studio of Carle Vernet who was primarily a painter of horses. French painter Caire Vernet taught him the traditions of English sporting art. This helped Gericault to develop the remarkable ability to capture animal movement. In 1810, Gericault joined the studio of Pierre Guerin seeking more serious academic training in art. He spent the next three years from 1811 to 1814 copying the works of masters in the Louvre.

His First Exhibition at the Salon

Gericault’s painting ‘Officers of the Imperial Guard’ made in 1812 was his first submission at the Salon. This painting was reminiscent of the work of his mentor Antoine-Jean Gros. Napoleon inspired Gericault greatly and military life became an important part of the subjects for his paintings until he left for Rome in 1816. Two important paintings that he made based on this subject during this period were ‘Charging Chasseur’ (1812) and ‘Wounded Cuirassier Leaving the Field of Battle’ (1814). The scope and depth of his art became focussed after studying the Old Masters during his trip to Italy. One important piece of art created by Gericault during this period in Italy was ‘The Riderless Horse Race in Rome‘ (1816-1817)

A Source of Inspiration to Younger Artists

Gericault’s art was very contemporary in its attention to current events and the realities of human conditions. He depicted dramatic scenes from real life and he found inspiration from the most humble subjects. Gericault was one of the great exponents of the19th century French painting. He is known for the Romantic style of painting. Gericault’s formal education in art training was not so much as most of his contemporaries had. Whenever he became inspired, he applied himself to the job with all seriousness. Gericault was as much inspired by his predecessors, such as, Antoine-Jean Gros, as he became a source of inspiration for his younger artists like Eugene Delacroix.

‘The Raft of Medusa’, Not Appreciated in France

Gericault made this painting at a time when French Romanticism was at the helm. Romantic era painters heavily dramatized historical and religious scenes while telling emotionally intense stories. Theodore Gericault made the painting ‘The Raft of Medusa’ in 1819 and it was not as much success as Gericault had expected it to be in France. It was an attempt to present the French society with its own struggles. The painting shows a raft full of people who had just survived a shipwreck. The victims of the shipwreck are apparently cursing, with their hands raised in agony, a French Naval Frigate that ignored their plea for help. The plea for help was also a precursor to the impending horrors in the form of cannibalism and human hysteria. The painting introduced to society the overbearing influence of the Romantic Movement in painting. The painting was a flop show in France, partially.

The Raft of The Medusa: A Success in England

Gericault returned to Paris in 1817. He realised that his artistic talent had gained power through his study of the Renaissance. However, he was not happy with his paintings made in Italy as they did not depict the current events. He felt that he could not ignore the contemporary reality as practised by some of his contemporary artists. Gericault was in search of a subject from modern life. It was then that he came upon a pamphlet that narrated the difficulties faced by survivors of a raft called ‘Medusa’ which was adrift by a mutinous crew of a larger warship. The survivors returned to France to narrate their horrifying tales of exposure to starvation and desperation leading to cannibalism.

Though “The Raft of The Medusa‘ was a high-quality painting, the public response to it was not encouraging. Neither the Government nor the public came forward to buy the painting as Gericault had expected. Later, he took the painting to England early in 1820 for displaying it in a travelling exhibition. In this way, Gericault collected a considerable amount of money. Despite its success in the exhibitions, the French government refused to buy it. This painting won Garicault a gold medal in the Salon.

The greatest achievements of the last leg of his life were the portraits of the insane. Experts say that there were ten of them originally. However, only five of them have survived. They are ‘A woman addicted to Gambling’, A Child Snatcher’, A Woman Suffering From Obsessive Envy’, A Kleptomaniac’, and ‘A Man Suffering From Delusions of Military Command’.

The Charging Chasseur

Gericault painted ‘The Charging Chasseur in about 1812. The painting portrays a mounted Napoleonic cavalry officer who is astride a horse and is ready to attack an enemy on a smoky battlefield. It is a large 3.49m x 2.66m large oil painting and it has a motif similar to Jacques-Louis David’s ‘Napoleon Crossing the Alps‘. The mood of the horse appears as though it is rearing away from an unseen attacker.

The Wounded Cuirassier

‘The Wounded Cuirassier’ is a painting by Gericault, depicting a single soldier descending a slope with his nervous horse. This life-size painting was the painter’s novel method of telling a story of a nation in defeat. This was a reflection of France’s disastrous military campaign in Russia. In this painting, Geriault turned away from heroism in favour of a subject that tells the sad story of a losing side.

His Final Days

After a year-long stay in England, Gericault returned to France at the end of 1821. The crowds had flocked to his great painting ‘The Raft of The Medusa’ displayed in the Egyptian Hall in Pall Mall, London. While the French Government refused to buy his ambitious painting, his own extravagant way of spending added to his financial misery. This incapacitated him from launching another ambitious project. He met with a riding accident in France, causing injuries that caused a tumour on the spine. He died in 1824 aged 32 after a prolonged illness.