From the artist's life
To paint The Raft of the Medusa, Géricault studied corpses and severed limbs in morgues to capture the colour of death truthfully.
Source: Wikipedia / WikimediaRomanticism
Théodore Géricault
Théodore Géricault (1791–1824) was a founder of French Romanticism, who brought raw drama and contemporary tragedy to monumental painting. His Raft of the Medusa turned a real shipwreck scandal into a colossal masterpiece.
Géricault's emotional power and modern subjects pointed the way for Delacroix and Romanticism, before his death at just 32.
- Painted The Raft of the Medusa, based on a real, scandalous shipwreck.
- Brought contemporary tragedy and raw emotion to grand painting.
- Died at only 32 after a riding accident, but reshaped Romanticism.
Key works
Where to start
Complete list of key works
Works with a dedicated ArtAtlas page are highlighted in gold.
- The Raft of the MedusaOn ArtAtlas
- The 1821 Derby at EpsomListed for reference
- Portrait of a KleptomaniacListed for reference
- The Charging ChasseurListed for reference
- The Wounded CuirassierListed for reference
- The Woman with a Gambling ManiaListed for reference
- Insane WomanListed for reference
- The Plaster KilnListed for reference
- The Severed HeadsListed for reference
- Head of a white horseListed for reference
- Gray HorseListed for reference
- Evening: Landscape with an AqueductListed for reference
1818
The Raft of the Medusa
The Raft of the Medusa – originally titled Scène de Naufrage – is an oil painting of 1818–1819 by the French Romantic painter and lithographer Théodore Géricault (1791–1824). Completed when the artist was 27, the work has become an icon of French Romanticism.