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| The Raft of the Medusa (1819) – Theodore Gericault |
Méduse was a French warship that served in the
Napoleonic Wars. While the wars survived, a sandbank sunk in July 1816 while carrying people to Senegal. The 400 people on board had to evacuate; 151 of them were on a raft. Such people had to go through a horrific ordeal on the ship. Some were swept into the water by a storm; some rebelled and killed by officers; prisoners engaged in cannibalism; and as provisions were short, wounded men were cast into the water. After 13 days at sea, the raft was found with only 15 remaining passengers.
The case has been an worldwide sensation. Before making this masterpiece, Théodore Géricault carefully researched the accident. The Raft of the Medusa has proven to be highly popular in French art; is considered to be an emblem of French Romanticism; and has immortalized the event it portrays.
