To those familiar with Art History the paintings of The Death of Socrates (1787) and the Death of Marat(1793) are classic examples of Neo-Classicism, which was the painting of "classical" subject matter, which often consisted of people from Greek history or noble leaders. The lesser known style of Neo-Baroque art contains some lesser known but still dramatic pieces of art in their own right. One such painting is The Raft of the "Medusa" (1818-19) by Theodore Gericault.
Neo-classical vs. Neo-Baroque Art
Like Neoclassical paintings The Raft of the "Medusa" has a fascinating story to tell. Similarly its subject is dramatic and the subject matter is posed for maximum effect. Unlike a neoclassical painting the subject of this painting are just ordinary people put into extraordinary events.
Gericault and His Influences
Gericault was born in Rouen, France and was educated in the tradition of English sporting art and classical figure composition. He soon left the classroom however, choosing to study at the Louvre where he was influenced by the works of Michelangelo and the Baroque painters Reubens, Valasquez, and Titian. Gericault was of the opinion that art could and should show a more human side, with all its weaknesses and imperfections.
The Raft of the Medusa
The Raft of the "Medusa" was inspired by the true account of a raft adrift at sea for 13 days. The story goes that a French ship had foundered off the West African coast. There were not enough lifeboats so a makeshift raft was made for the passengers and crew members who where left. The officers in their haste to reach shore abandoned the raft and it drifted further out to sea. The men onboard the raft fought for food and space and pretty soon mutinies broke out and the survivors were forced to cannibalism. When a rescue ship was sighted only fifteen of the original crew members were alive.
The painting itself shows the moment when the crew of the raft are desperately waiving to the rescue ship. The raft itself is as tumultuous as the sea around it. The bodies that lay dead or dying in the foreground are built up in the composition to support the black man waving the flag. There is a strong contrast between the outstretched movement of the survivors to the movement of the raft itself.
Gericault went to great lengths to make the painting authentic, from building a model of the raft to sketching the dead at the morgue, to interviewing survivors. He even went to the Paris Asylum to draw the insane. All this is subservient to the underlying themes of human suffering and tragedy but also of hope and perseverance. It is these themes that are found throughout Gericault's work and in the works of other Neo-Baroque painters.
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