Théodore Géricault
Born – Rouen, France 1791
Died – Rouen, France 1824
Théodore Géricault was a painter and graphic artist who became a leading figure in the Romantic Movement in France. He left the studio of Vernet in 1810 to study under Guérnin, whose pupils also included Eugéne Delacroix. Delacroix became a great friend of Géricault visited Italy in 1816 and was in England from 1820 to 1822. His paintings of contemporary life reflected the poverty he saw in London, as well as his keen interest in racing and riding. Horses figure repeatedly in Géricault’s paintings; whether in combat, racing or just rearing, they reveal a typical romantic preoccupation with drama and heightened emotion. His most celebrated work, the vast Raft of the Medusa, was shown at the Paris Salon in 1819. The painting is based on an actual shipwreck which cast a raft of survivors adrift, whose numbers then began to dwindle daily. Géricault is unsparing in his treatment of their plight: he visited hospitals and morgues to lend realism to his depiction of the dying and the dead. Between 1822 and 1823 Géricault painted a number of uncompromising and moving portraits of inmates at a Paris asylum.
Masterpieces:
- The Mad Woman
- Horse Frightened by Lightning
Text: The A-Z of Art, Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson.