The Raft of the Medusa - Essay Example

Your F. 25 April The Raft of the Medusa For the evaluation of “The Raft of the Medusa,” painted by Theodore Gericault, there are many elements to discuss. The original painting was worked on and completed in the years of 1818-1819. It is also considered to be an iconic painting displaying the era of French romanticism. The painting itself as described by members of the Louvre Museum in France say that this is a painting of a boat wreck just off the coast of Senegal when it ran over a sandbank just a couple of years prior to the artist painting it.

The boat, the Medusa, had nearly 150 soldiers on board and captured the painters attention. The members that had been left on board that had not drowned or died had tried to construct a life raft due to the shortage of lifeboats aboard the ship only to save ten total lives (Lavessiere, Michel, Chenique). The use of line shows all of the straight angles of the raft and shows the details of the pitifully built raft. All of the lines used show such detail to the people that are on board. The background is more neutral so it creates an emphasis on the rest of the painting that should be focused on.

There are so many details to take in as there is no primary focal point other than the entire raft itself. A pattern of compositional lines draw attention to that focal point with the use of angles on the sail, the wooden planks that make up the floor of the painting and the arms and legs of the survivors. The coloring adds drama because of the lack of color. Every inch of the painting is dark and dreary or a golden neutral shade. The contrast of the colors and the lighting makes the painting appear more dark and dreary and draws attention to anguish of the sailors on board.

Works CitedLaveissiere, S., Michel, R., Chenique, B. Géricault, catalogue d’exposition, Grand Palais 1991-1992, Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris, 1991. Web. Retrieved 25 April 2012.