The Raft of the Medusa by Gericault: Shipwreck, Scandal, and Survival (1819)
A pyramid of bodies rises from a timber raft toward a speck on the horizon. Some are already corpses; one man waves a cloth as if hope itself had a muscle. Theodore Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa (1818-1819) turns a political scandal into Romantic history painting - shipwreck, incompetence, and survival staged life-size so you cannot look away politely. Quick facts Artist: Theodore Gericault (1791-1824) Date: 1818-1819 Medium: Oil on canvas Collection: Musee du Louvre, Paris Notable fact: Based on the 1816 wreck of the French frigate Meduse; Gericault interviewed survivors and built a scale model of the raft; shown at the 1819 Paris Salon Theodore Gericault, The Raft of the Medusa , 1818-1819. Musee du Louvre, Paris. Scandal Before It Was Art In June 1816 the Meduse ran aground off West Africa under a poorly chosen captain. Officers took the boats; roughly 150 people were left on a makeshift raft. Most died. Survivors' accounts shamed the restored Bourbon...