Romanticism
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Theodore Gericault
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| When: |
1791-1824 |
| Where: |
France |
| What: |
Founder of Romanticism. |
| What: |
Subject:
- Contemporary events.
- Violence and dramatic scenes. |
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Composition:
- Dynamic and strong diagonals to create movement. |
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Brushstroke:
- Loose and quick brushwork.
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| What: |
An Officer of the Imperial Horse Guards Charging
1814
Oil on canvas
349 x 266 cm
Musee du Louvre, Paris |
Here are two paintings done by the two leaders of Neo-Classicism
and Romanticism.
Take note of the differences between these two works:
1. Lines and Composition
2. Colour and Tone
3. Subject matter
4. Brushwork
5. Mood
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David
Napoleon at St. Bernard
Oil on Canvas
9' 11 1/2" x 7' 2"
1800
Musee du Louvre, Paris
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| What: |
The Raft of the Medusa
1819
Oil on canvas
491 x 716 cm
Musee du Louvre, Paris |
2 July 1816 the Medusa, a naval frigate carrying French soldiers
to the colony of Senegal, had run aground off the West African
coast.
Captain and crew on towboat, with 149 men and 1 woman on a
raft.
Raft adrift for 12 days after it got cut off from the lifeboat..
There was a brief sighting of another ship in the original
convoy, the Argus, but it did not see them.
Later the same day, when the Argus did find the raft, only
15 people remained
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The drama of the struggle to survive captivated
Gericault when he heard of the event. He went to the extent
of constructing his own raft in his studio and enacted the drama
on it himself just to feel what those people felt like.
The scale of the painting is one that is traditionally reserved
for history paintings. Gericault broke the convention by depicting
a contemporary event.
The figures show the admiration Gericault had on the works of
Michelangelo. However, the muscular bodies are a contradiction
because the survivors would have been reduced to skin and bones
by then.
There are two off-centred triangles that form the basic structure
of the painting. The theaterical lighting also takes on from
where Baroque has left out. |
Detail of man waving. |
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| What: |
The dramatic colours and brushwork broke many
conventions of the time. He was succeeded by Delacroix. |
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