Raft of the Medusa

Géricault, Raft of the Medusa, 1818-1819

In Théodore Géricault’s massive painting, Raft of the Medusa, at the Musée du Louvre, the colors used contribute to the work's dramatic subject. The somber palette relates to the horrible scene depicted. The dead men are very realistic with purple and gray hues used to make their faces seem completely lifeless. In addition, color creates a contrast between the painting’s left corner and right side. On the left, there is a dark cloud and a huge wave that is on the verge of crashing over the raft. To me, this corner was representative of death since nature’s power is the obstacle preventing the people on the raft from living. In contrast, the right side may symbolize life because there is a hint of yellow sky. This light is what the slave is reaching up towards, relating to his hope for survival. When I was going back through my pictures, I was surprised to see that the colors I saw in person did not translate well in photos. Since the painting is dark, it is best seen in person over a slide. In a slide, crucial details are lost like the textured whitecaps of the water and the color contrast between the white men and the black slaves.

Géricault's grave, Père Lachaise Cemetery

Since color is such an important aspect of the painting, it is interesting to see a version that is devoid of color. Théodore Géricault thought his best work was the Raft of the Medusa, 1818-1819. Nonetheless, I was quite surprised to see the Raft of the Medusa depicted on his tomb at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. It is obvious that this controversial work is what Géricault wanted to be remembered by as it is immortalized with his body forever. His original painting is turned into a low relief, shown on the front of his tomb. It is interesting to see a smaller version of the work because although the copy is good, its overall dramatic affect is not as powerful as the original painting. Even though the tomb is bronze, the lack of color is not the relief’s primary problem. There are too many characters represented in such a small space. The viewer is unable to see what everyone is doing because there is too much going on. As a result, the emotional moment that the relief depicts is lost. On top of the tomb, Géricault is shown sprawled out wearing a long draped cloth. He is represented as the quintessential Romantic artist with his little hat, moustache, brush and palette. As he looks away into the distance, he appears to be taking a quick break from painting his masterpiece.