Theodore Gericault: biography and paintings. The founder of romanticism in French painting Theodore Géricault Painting of Géricault the insane
The wonderful artist Theodore Gericault lived a short life - he died tragically at the age of thirty-two. And yet, without this master it is difficult to imagine the history of European art of the 19th century. With his talent and passion, he inspired young painters who followed him to the call of romanticism.
Gericault was born into a wealthy, cultured family. He received an excellent education at the Imperial Lyceum in Paris. His artistic talent manifested itself in early childhood, and after graduating from the Lyceum, against the wishes of his father, Gericault began to attend the workshop of Carl Vernet. The choice was not accidental - horses were the passion of the future artist, and Vernet became famous for his paintings depicting slender thoroughbred horses.
In 1810, Géricault transferred to Guerin, under whose leadership it was possible to receive more thorough professional training. Having completed the sketch of the sitter faster than others, Gericault begins to draw it from a different angle, assigning an imaginary background. Other students tried to follow his example, and Guerin admonished them: “Why are you trying to imitate him. Let him work as he wants, there is enough material for three or four painters, not like yours.”
But at the same time, Gericault works hard and hard. Well-designed anatomical drawings, studies, and sketches of animals, especially horses, have been preserved. He studies the anatomy of a horse in detail and creates a magnificent “anatomical horse” in sculpture with all the muscles, tendons, and bones. Copies a lot in the Louvre. Among his contemporaries, he is attracted to Gros’s paintings, full of drama and expression, dedicated to the campaigns of Napoleon. The search for heroism and heroes not in ancient history, but in modernity is a feature of romanticism, the forerunner of which was Gro.
In 1812, Géricault debuted at the Salon with a large canvas: “Officer of the mounted rangers of the imperial guard, going on the attack” (Paris, Louvre). The picture breathes with the stormy romance of battle - a magnificent rearing horse with a flowing mane, burning eyes, rushes like a whirlwind, dragging the rider into the thick of the battle. The saber sparkles, the braid shines, the harness rings, the bright spots of the leopard blanket, decorated with the grinning muzzle of a leopard - everything is a breathtaking sight.
The dynamics of forms, the expression of lines, sudden changes in light and shadow emphasize the pathos of the scene. In contrast to the “bas-relief”, frontal composition of the classicists, the artist boldly “attacks” the plane of the canvas, directing the movement of the horse into depth. But color plays the main role - it becomes the main means of artistic expression. The master boldly uses color contrasts: here and there, temperamental strokes of scarlet cinnabar flare up, blazing hotly against a smoky crimson background. The work was a success and was awarded a gold medal. But perhaps only old David appreciated its true novelty and power. Stopping near the painting, he exclaimed: “Where is this from? I don’t know this brush!” In the Officer of the Mounted Chasseurs there is the fervor and enthusiasm of the twenty-two-year-old Gericault, the excitement and illusions of his generation, which grew up under the thunder of the triumphant victories of the French armies in all parts of Europe. And in the same 1812, France was shocked by the news of the death of the Great Army in the snows of Russia.
At the Salon of 1814, Géricault exhibited two works: “Officer of Mounted Chasseurs” and its companion “Wounded Cuirassier Leaving the Battlefield” (Paris, Louvre). They seemed to symbolize Napoleon's epic - from brilliant victories to defeat and collapse (March 30, 1814, Allied troops entered Paris). The picture evoked the tragedy of defeat and was greeted coldly.
The military theme occupied the artist’s imagination for some time. The bust-length portrait “Carabinieri Officer” (Paris, Louvre) dates back to the same years. The romantic image of a carabinieri expresses the atmosphere of a turning point. There is no external action in the portrait, all attention is focused on conveying the “state of mind”: before us is a man, as if standing at a crossroads, in his eyes, turned to the viewer, there is a question, anxiety, depressing forebodings. One side of the face is brightly lit, the other in shadow - the contrast introduces a note of anxiety. The dark, hazy sky, the dejected head of the horse with a huge sad eye complete the gloomy impression. “We thirst for passion itself,” Stendhal wrote, “hence, it can be assumed that the 19th century will differ from all previous ones in its accurate and fiery depiction of the human heart.” This statement can be considered a program of romanticism, which turned to the transmission of feelings and moods.
After Waterloo (June 18, 1815), the Bourbons returned to France. Executions and persecution of Napoleon's supporters begin. The emperor's comrades were shot - Brun, Berthier and the “bravest of the brave” - Marshal Ney, many were forced to emigrate - David, the mathematician Monge and others.
In a state of spiritual depression, Gericault leaves for Italy.
But even here at first he is gloomy, he is oppressed by loneliness. “If there is something unconditional for us, it is our suffering,” the artist wrote in a letter to a friend from Rome. He visits museums, copies great masters, and makes sketches from life on city streets. Once, during the Roman carnival, Gericault witnessed a bright, unusual spectacle - free horses running along the streets of Rome (on the Corso). The artist was especially struck by the moment before the start: horses without bridles or saddles are straining from the hands of young, strong guys to rush forward. He decided to paint a huge picture, the theme is the struggle of a mighty horse and a man: “The Running of Free Horses in Rome” (1817, Paris, Louvre).
Dozens of sketches and drawings are made, and the entire composition is drawn on canvas. Suddenly, Gericault leaves Rome in a hurry - what caused the departure remains a mystery.
In Paris, the works begun in Rome are being finalized, the artist works hard and successfully on lithographs, creates a number of portrait works, of which “Portrait of Delacroix” (c. 1819, Paris, Louvre) is one of the best. This is not only an image of a young talented artist with a burning gaze of inspiration, it is a portrait of an entire generation of romantics, young people of the troubled post-revolutionary era.
Géricault is also the author of a series of portraits of the mentally ill, which he painted at the Salpêtrière hospital, possibly at the request of Dr. Georges. These are people of hypertrophied passions, overwhelmed by obsessions. The artist’s observation and compassionate attention to the “sorrowful chapters” are striking. However, he is haunted by the thought of creating a monumental work. He is looking for a topic, and suddenly it is provided by a real event.
In 1818-1819, Géricault would paint the main picture of his life: The Raft of the Medusa (Paris, Louvre). On June 18, 1816, the frigate Medusa sailed from France to Senegal. During a storm, the ship ran aground, the captain and senior officials took the boats, and a raft was built for the rest (149 people). The boats had to tow the raft to the shore. However, the people on the raft soon discovered that the towing ropes had been cut off and they were abandoned in the open ocean with almost no water or food. During the night, a massacre broke out over food scraps. Life on the raft turned into hell, burned by the sun, people died in agony from hunger, thirst and horror. Many went crazy, even to the point of cannibalism. Only on the eleventh day did the sail of the brig Argus flash on the horizon. Fifteen half-corpses were brought on board, five of them died.
The miraculously surviving surgeon Savigny and engineer Correard published a book in 1817 about what they experienced. The story of meanness and cruelty, of a mediocre captain, the culprit of the disaster (it was known that he received a position through patronage), shocked France.
In the spring of 1818, Géricault began sketches for a huge painting. Indignation towards the perpetrators and sympathy for the victims captured him and brought passion to his work. Gericault meets Savigny and Correard and finds out new terrifying details not included in the book. Finds the ship's carpenter of the Medusa and orders him a model of the raft. In the hospital he makes sketches of wounded, dying, sick people, and draws corpses. He goes to Le Havre to paint the raging sea from life - everything in his painting must be true.
In dozens of sketches, the design of the composition is worked out, gradually taking on the shape of an arrow, directed towards a sail flashing on the horizon. A spark of hope for salvation, like an electric charge, permeates all the actions, movements, postures and gestures of the victims, giving the picture the integrity of a monolith.
The artist creates a gallery of stunning images, and each person’s experiences are deeply individual. The painter’s imagination reaches such power that it seems as if he himself was on the raft and observed the suffering of people, their feelings moving from horror and despair to hope. A private episode turns into a heroic epic, affirming the will to live inherent in a person.
The historian Michelet wrote that the picture expresses Gericault’s thoughts, his thoughts about the fate of France and humanity: “This is France itself. This is our society loaded onto the raft of the Medusa. Géricault was France at that moment.”
However, the feelings and thoughts embodied in the work are so universal that even two hundred years later, when the threat of death looms over humanity living on the small planet Earth, the picture does not lose its meaning.
The raft of the Medusa was exhibited at the Salon of 1819, replete with compositions on religious themes and sentimental scenes from the personal lives of monarchs. The painting gave the impression of “the face of the Gorgon suddenly appearing against the background of the sweet pink skies of the Salon of 1819.”
The event that happened so recently was remembered by the audience, and in the controversy that flared up around the canvas, no one was indifferent. Some welcomed the master, others furiously took up arms against him, accusing him of violating all aesthetic norms. The Romantics believed that the ugly can also be the subject of artistic embodiment, the ugly in life can become beautiful in art. The film received neither first nor second prize. Gericault was sensitive to criticism. And when he was offered to exhibit “The Raft” in London, he readily agreed. There the picture aroused great interest.
From a trip to England, Géricault brought a series of lithographs and a magnificent painting “The Races at Epsom” (1821, Paris, Louvre). Only a horse connoisseur and lover could convey the excitement of horse competitions with such enthusiasm and skill. The riders seem to be flying above the ground, the rapid, uncontrollable movement, seemingly beyond the control of painting, which is static in its essence, is captured with true brilliance.
The passion for hot, unbridled horses became fatal for the artist. At the end of 1822, a horse threw him onto a pile of stones. In December 1823, Delacroix writes in his diary: “Today I visited Géricault... He is dying...” Then he writes about his friend’s works: “Wonderful sketches! What a fortress! What excellence! And die next to all these works, created with all the strength and passion of youth..."
On January 26, 1824, Gericault died. “One of the greatest misfortunes that art could suffer in our era is the death of the amazing Géricault,” Delacroix sadly concludes.
Veronica Starodubova
The artist Theodore Gericault lived a short life - only 33 years. Of these, only a decade and a half was allotted for creativity, but even during this period he managed as much as another creator does not have time for even 40. His death was a huge loss for art - he was the founder of revolutionary romanticism in painting and reflected in his canvases all the intensity of passions of his century.
Childhood and youth
Jean Louis André Theodore Gericault was born in 1791 in Rouen, into a family of wealthy bourgeois, but spent most of his life in Paris. His father belonged to the Norman nobility and owned tobacco plantations in the southern part of the country, and his mother came from a respected merchant family. She died early, and Georges-Nicolas Gericault had to take full responsibility for raising his son. The future artist’s youth fell on the period of the Great French Revolution, but the turbulent events of those years bypassed his parents.
As the scion of a noble family, Theodore had to receive a decent education and undergo military service. He studied at a boarding school and graduated from the Imperial Lyceum. The boy talked a lot with his uncle. Jean-Baptiste Caruel collected paintings by Dutch and Flemish masters, often took Theodore to the museum and encouraged his passion for painting. He had a strong influence on the formation of the artist’s tastes and preferences - throughout his career, Gericault considered the works of the Flemings to be standard and gravitated towards the battle genre.
Painting
In those years, the Empire style was in fashion in France, but Theodore did not like this style with its ponderous features. In 1808, he began studying with Carl Vernet, who was then considered a recognized master of battle scenes, and under the guidance of his teacher he created his first works on a military theme. From the early period of creativity, many sketches and sketches have been preserved with scenes of battles and images of horses adored by the artist.
Young Theodore became friends with Vernet's son Horace. Together with his teacher and friend, he went to the Louvre, the Franconi Circus, and visited stud farms and arenas. He spent 2 years in the workshop of Carl Gericault, after which he began studying with Pierre Guerin, one of the founders of the romantic movement in art.
He put rather little effort into the education of his charges, but it was there that Gericault’s writing style was finally formed. He remained in touch with Guerin in subsequent years, often visiting and inviting him to look at his works. In addition, in his house Theodore met, who later became a close friend and adviser.
Soon Theodore felt ready for independent creativity. From 1811-1812, 50 nude studies have been preserved, in which the master’s style was first revealed - an unexpected play of light and shadow, drama and tension, an energetic brushwork.
In 1812, Gericault presented to the public the painting “Portrait of Lieutenant M. D.” (“Portrait of Dieudonné”). Later he was exhibited under a different title - “An officer of the mounted rangers of the imperial guard, going into the attack.” On it, the artist depicted a warrior in the midst of battle: a white horse reared up, the character looked back, holding a naked saber in his hand. The painting was the result of hard work: 20 sketches for it have survived, and it is known that this is only a small part of the attempts.
After “Officer...” Theodore Gericault became famous in the professional community. The success of the battle painting prompted him to create a series of paintings, but he was interested not so much in colorful parades and battles as in conveying the spirit of the times through images of officers and soldiers. The works were not official orders, so Géricault felt free to put his own vision into them. It is obvious that they were written from specific people, but Theodore tried to avoid emphasis on individuality, trying to convey only general features.
New creations were presented at the salon in 1814, after the defeat, and became a reminder of a bygone era. At the exhibition, among other paintings whose authors chose neutral themes, his series did not look very favorable. The success of the debut work could not be repeated - art critics either ignored the works of Gericault or responded to them in disapproving terms. The most famous work of the series, “The Wounded Cuirassier Leaving the Battlefield,” was criticized for its heavy coloring, carelessness and disharmony.
After a creative failure, the young artist decided to change his life, and in a very unexpected way. Even the authors of official biographies cannot explain what guided his actions then. To the surprise of his friends and relatives, Theodore, who had previously avoided military service, entered the musketeer company. He happened to accompany Louis XVIII to the border, who was fleeing during the Hundred Days, after which Géricault himself had to move to Normandy, pretending to be a peasant. There the artist remained until mid-1815 and returned to creativity, beginning to process the impressions received into new paintings.
Like many creators of that time, Gericault wanted to visit Italy, which was considered the cradle of painting traditions. There wasn’t enough money for the trip, but soon the opportunity to earn money came up by painting the walls of a house in Villers-Cotterets. He left for Italy hastily and in a confused state of mind, the reason was troubles in his personal life.
The artist spent a year in another country, which he later described as “sad and unhappy.” From a creative point of view, the time passed productively: Gericault visited the sights, painted several landscapes, sketched the famous frescoes in Santa Maria Novella and made new friends and useful contacts, but the thirst for something epic and large-scale remained unquenched.
From Italy, Theodore brought the idea for the painting “The Raft of the Medusa,” dedicated to a tragic episode in the history of the French fleet - the death of a frigate off the Canary Islands. The artist approached the creation of his masterpiece with all thoroughness: he collected evidence, found and questioned eyewitnesses, and read a book about the event. At this time, he often visited embankments to paint sketches of the sky and sea, as well as hospital morgues in order to better depict death’s heads in the painting, and even created something like an anatomical theater in his studio.
“The Medusa raft received conflicting reviews from the public and critics. On the one hand, it was obviously a work of genius, accurately conveying the drama of the situation. On the other hand, a number of art critics noted the unnatural poses, excessive pathos and coldness of the colors in the canvas.
In 1821, the artist traveled to England, where he settled with the family of Adam Elmore, a horse trader. Under his influence, he returned to his favorite theme and wrote the work “Epsom Races,” where he depicted 4 riders against the backdrop of a green racing field and gloomy thunderclouds. This is one of his few full-fledged paintings of the time when Gericault preferred engravings and watercolors.
The artist’s last years were marked by several portraits that clearly demonstrated his depressed state: “Insane, imagining himself as a commander,” “Crazy Old Woman.” These portraits are considered the pinnacle of French painting of the 19th century, but, in addition to the skill of execution, they amaze the viewer with their drama and despair.
Personal life
Little is known about the artist's love interests. He never married, and of his children he had only an illegitimate son, the fruit of a short-term relationship with his uncle’s wife, Alexandrina Modest Caruel. The novel did not bring Jericault happiness; on the contrary, it only gave rise to a feeling of deep shame and repentance.
The born child had to be given to an orphanage, his mother hastily left Paris, and the artist, as a sign of grief, shaved his head and locked himself in the studio. When Theodore had a chance to go to Italy, he rushed there in search of peace of mind, but he experienced a personal drama until the end of his days.
Death
The artist was only 33 years old, but his physical health was rapidly deteriorating. In addition to illness, the condition was aggravated by injuries received during horseback riding.
The cause of his death is not exactly known; according to one version, it was another fall from a horse - Gericault received a strong blow to the temple. The master died in Paris on January 26, 1824. His works are kept in the Louvre and Rouen museums; several paintings are also in the Hermitage collection.
Paintings
- 1812 – “Officer of the mounted rangers of the imperial guard, going into the attack”
- 1817 – “Running of free horses in Rome”
- 1817 – “Horse Market”
- 1817 – “Slaves stopping a horse”
- 1817 – “Taming of the Bulls”
- 1814 – “Wounded Cuirassier Leaving the Battlefield”
- 1818 – “Severed Heads”
- 1818-1819 – “The Raft of the Medusa”
- 1819 – “Victim of the Wreck”
- 1819-1822 – “Portrait of a Kleptomaniac”
- 1820 – “Shipwreck”
- 1821 – “Horse during a thunderstorm”
- 1821 – “Epsom Races”
- 1822-1823 – “Lime Kiln”
- 1823 – “Two Post Horses”
» Gericault Theodore
Creativity and biography - Gericault Theodore
Gericault Theodore (1791-1824) - French painter, graphic artist and sculptor, founder of revolutionary romanticism in French painting.
Born in Rouen into a wealthy family. He studied in Paris at the Imperial Lyceum (1806-1808). His teachers were K.J. Berne and P.N. Guerin. But they did not influence the formation of his artistic style - in the painting of Gericault, the tendencies of the art of A. J. Gros and J. L. David can be traced. The artist visited the Louvre, where he made copies of the works of old masters; he was especially admired by the paintings of Rubens.
Influenced by the painting of A. J. Gros, who dedicated many of his works to the victories of Napoleonic army, Géricault turns to the dramatic events of his era (“Officer of mounted rangers during an attack,” 1812, Louvre, Paris). This picture, painted at the beginning of the French army’s campaign in Russia, was distinguished by its sharp life observations, stormy dynamics, and emotional richness of color. The painting “The Wounded Cuirassier” (1814, Louvre, Paris), conceived as a pair to the previous one, where instead of a hero striving for victory, an officer is depicted barely standing on his feet leaving the battlefield, reflected the tragedy of the situation that developed in France after the defeat of Napoleon’s army in Russia, people's disappointment in Napoleonic policies. The gloomy foreboding is intensified by the landscape with low hanging dark clouds.
In 1816 the artist left for Italy. In Florence and Rome he studies the work of the old masters. Impressed by monumental art, Géricault created the painting “Running of Free Horses in Rome” (1817, Louvre, Paris), depicting equestrian competitions during the carnival in Rome. The main motive of this work is the opposition of human power and nature, embodied in the image of a mighty horse.
Like other romantics, Gericault is interested in the theme of man's struggle with the natural elements, and he turns to the motif of the sea. In 1819, the artist exhibited one of his best works at the Salon - the grandiose composition “The Raft of the Medusa” (1818-1819, Louvre, Paris). The film is based on real events: in the summer of 1816, due to the unprofessionalism of the captain, the frigate Medusa sank on reefs off the coast of Africa. Of the 149 people who moved from the broken ship onto the raft, only 15 were saved; all the rest died from hunger and thirst. Help for those in distress came only on the twelfth day.
When creating a picture, Gericault strives to be extremely accurate; he finds eyewitnesses of events and paints their portraits, works in a hospital and morgue, making sketches of sick people and corpses. The artist studies the sea very carefully, writes many sketches depicting the sea at the time of excitement and storm. The surviving sketches make it clear that the painter wanted to show the struggle of people on a raft with each other, but later abandoned this plan. The final version of the picture represents the moment when people, who have already lost hope of salvation, see the Argus ship on the horizon and are drawn to it.
Making numerous sketches, the artist worked for a long time to find a composition, choosing to depict the raft from an upper point of view, which made it possible to take in everything that was happening at one glance. Dissatisfied with the solution found, Gericault attributes another figure to the bottom right of the painting, already on display - this highlights the foreground and enhances the tragic sound. The front edge of the image is, as it were, cut off by the frame, which allows the viewer to feel like a participant in the terrible events presented in the picture on an epic scale.
To show the film in England, Gericault traveled to London. The painting was a huge success in opposition circles in France and did not arouse enthusiasm among representatives of official art; the state did not acquire it.
During the time spent in England (1820-22), where the artist was influenced by J. Constable, he created a number of watercolors and lithographs with scenes of folk life: “The Coal Cart,” “Plowing England,” “The Forge,” etc. In a stern, restrained manner, Gericault depicted the episodes that revealed to him the life of the English poor, beggars, and tramps.
In England, the artist created a series of lithographs that reflected his English impressions (“A Beggar Dying at the Door of a Bakery,” 1821; “At the Gates of the Adelphic Dockyard in London”), and also worked on paintings (“Racing at Epsom,” 1821, Louvre, Paris; "Lime Kiln", 1821-1822, Louvre, Paris).
Géricault's skill was manifested in portraiture; he painted his famous contemporaries (Portrait of the Young Delacroix, 1819, Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics, Rouen), and, by order of his psychiatrist friend, created a number of portraits of his patients. These works are distinguished by great expressive power; they reveal the deep tragedy of the suffering human soul (“Crazy Old Woman”, 1822-1823, Museum, Lyon; “Madman Who Imagines Himself as a Commander”, 1822-1823, Reinhart Collection, Winterthur).
Theodore Gericault (September 26, 1791, Rouen - January 26, 1824, Paris) - French painter of the Romantic era.
Biography of Theodore Gericault
Education in the biography of Gericault took place under the famous masters of that time - Vernet and Guerin. In their studio, Jean Louis met Delacroix.
From 1816 to 1817, Géricault studied in Rome.
Creativity of Gericault
In 1812, the exhibition “Cavalry Officer” took place, and two years later - “Wounded Cuirassier” (both were presented at the Louvre).
Upon his return from Rome to Paris, he presented his famous painting "Raft of the Medusa" 1819, Louvre. It was a huge, raging canvas depicting a group of people after a shipwreck. The film was based on a real event of the time, which contained scandalous elements and political overtones, so the work attracted great public interest.
In 1820, a painting by Jean Louis Géricault was exhibited in London. She was greeted loudly and received a lot of attention.
Three years of stay in England bore fruit in painting. So Gericault painted several beautiful paintings about horses: “The Village Forge”, “Horse Fed by a Child”, also the famous painting “Epsom Derby” (Louvre). He also painted some crazy portraits, such as “The Madwoman.” In addition, he produced several small figures and produced excellent lithographs.
A fall from a horse led to the artist's premature death.
In his biography, Gericault was engaged in art for only 10 years, but even such a short period allowed him to take his rightful place among the best artists of the century.
The influence of Géricault's work on French painting was great and long-lasting.
Artist's works
- Two post horses
- Portrait of an artist in his dressing room
- Portrait of a Madwoman
- Portrait of a Tramp
- Horse tormented by a lion
- Wild horses
- Lime kiln
- Dapple gray horse
- Free Horse Race in Rome
- Crash victim
Bibliography
- Ch. Clement, "G. Etude biographique et critique" (3rd ed., 1879, with photographs from original drawings by Gericault).
- When writing this article, material was used from the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (1890-1907).
His father, Georges-Nicolas Géricault, was a wealthy man: the owner of tobacco plantations and a major tobacco merchant, and his mother, Louise-Jeanne-Marie Caruel de Saint-Martin, came from a family that belonged to the aristocracy of Normandy. The Gericault family moved to Paris in 1796. In 1801, Theodore was placed in a boarding school at the private boarding house Dubois-Loiseau, and then his father transferred him to the boarding house of René Richard Castel. In 1804, Géricault entered the Imperial Lyceum. After the death of his mother, Theodore was raised by his father. The boy began to show an early interest in painting, which was facilitated by communication with his uncle, Jean-Baptiste Caruel, who collected works by Flemish and Dutch artists. His uncle's acquaintances, aspiring artists and students of Guerin, Adelaide de Montgolfier and Louise Swaton, took Theodore with them to the museum, where they copied the works of old masters. The boy spent his holidays in Normandy, where, according to one of his friends, he painted a lot.
Years of study
At the end of 1808, Gericault entered training with Charles Vernet, a master of battle and genre scenes, whose work reflected the entire life of imperial Paris. In Vernet's workshop, the aspiring artist mostly practiced depicting horses, became familiar with the anatomical drawing of the animal, and here he had the opportunity to see prints made from the works of English animal painters, and copied Vernet's paintings. Géricault also visited the Louvre, where he studied the equestrian scenes decorating ancient sarcophagi. Theodore began to enter Vernet's house, and with him visited the Franconi circus, arenas and stud farms in Paris and its immediate environs. During his years of study with Vernet, his friendship began with the teacher’s son, Horace; perhaps these friendly relations are the reason why Gericault remained in Vernet’s workshop for so long.
In 1810, Géricault left Vernet's studio to continue his studies with Pierre Guerin, who, according to Etienne Delecluse, was "the only one at that time - after David, in any case - who had a real disposition towards pedagogy." At the beginning of the 19th century, the French public and critics saw in Guerin an artist who moved away from the art of David and his followers. The anti-David reaction played a significant role in this trend; in essence, Guerin’s reforms continued in the direction indicated by the Davidic school. Be that as it may, the most prominent representatives of romanticism emerged from the workshop of Guerin, an “adept of the Davidian school” and the least “pre-romantic” master of his time. Little reliable information has been preserved about the teaching methods in Guerin's workshop. What is known is that he did not impose his views on his students, and the latter did not receive systematic professional education. Géricault visited Guerin's studio irregularly for about six months, probably to be able to paint from life and communicate with other students of the master. One of them, the artist Champion, wrote in a new way - with a “thick stroke”, this influenced the manner of writing of Gericault, and later the manner of another student of Guerin - Eugene Delacroix. Theodore continued to visit Guerin after graduation, maintaining contact with him and his students. Subsequently, Theodore was the first to invite Guerin to see the just completed Raft of the Medusa.
As in Vernet’s atelier, Géricault copied Guerin’s teacher’s works and also redrew anatomical sheets. The paintings he painted at that time (“Samson and Delilah”, “The Departure of Odysseus from the Island of Ithaca”, “Defense of the Thermopylae Gorge”), according to Charles Clément, the artist’s biographer, were distinguished by “an energetic brush”; character movements, devoid of monotony; "compositional rhythms" going back to the painting of David. With training from Guerin, the process of forming an individual style began for Gericault, and soon he, no longer needing any guidance, began to work independently.
Probably in 1811-1812, Géricault performed about fifty studies with nude models. His painting studies are distinguished from the usual academic ones for that time by his “bold and energetic brush”; unexpected, almost theatrical chiaroscuro effects; intense dramatic mood. The artist does not strive to accurately reproduce nature, but creates a new look for each character. One of the typical examples of such studies is “Study of a Model” (Moscow, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts) from the “Gladiators” series. The contrast of deep shadow and harsh light emphasizes the disturbing image of a man “subject to fate.” As V. Turchin notes, these works by Géricault evoke the words of Guerin addressed to his student: “Your coloring is devoid of verisimilitude: all these contrasts of light and shadow can make me think that you are writing in the moonlight...”
At the same time, Gericault wrote sketches of horses, which are fundamentally different from his studies with sitters. The artist worked in the Versailles stables mainly in 1811-1813. He created “portraits” of famous horses; one of his paintings, “Napoleon’s Horse,” received an award from Empress Marie-Louise. In the process of work, the artist looked for the individuality inherent in each animal, studied its habits, and practiced accurately depicting the breed. His horses are placed in a specific, most often natural, environment. Gericault painted these canvases with small brushes, working out the details and avoiding large spots of color and strong light and shadow contrasts. The diversity of his painting style, which manifested itself in his work on the studies of sitters and horses, will be characteristic of him in the future. A passionate lover of horses and riding, he created works of a purely animalistic genre, the likes of which had not yet been seen in France.
It was probably during these years that Gericault completed his plaster écorche “Horse,” which was widely known among his contemporaries. In his sculptural works he developed motifs that he later transferred to painting.
Studying the paintings of the old masters
Géricault carefully copied paintings by old masters, starting with Renaissance artists. Among those whose originals or engraved repetitions of works attracted Theodore: P. P. Rubens, Titian, D. Velazquez, Rembrandt, Giorgione, Parmigianino and many others. More than sixty copies made by Géricault are known. He continued to study the old masters during his trips to Italy (1816-1817) and England (1820-1821). Géricault also executed a number of graphic sheets reworking themes from paintings by Michelangelo, Carracci, French followers of Caravaggio, and decorative works by 18th-century artists. He did not strive to imitate the original, generalizing a lot, giving more expression to the rhythm, enhancing the color scheme of the picture: “He sought to comprehend the secret of the enormous vitality, the scale of the images of the works of the old masters, their impact on the modern viewer. Striving for active, effective art, he longed to find examples of the same understanding in previous times. This determined the direction of his search.”
Salons of 1812 and 1814
In 1812, Géricault presented his work “Portrait of Dieudonné” at the Salon (currently exhibited as “An Officer of the Mounted Imperial Chasseurs Going into the Attack” (Paris, Louvre)). The painting by the artist, unknown until then either to the general public or to the professional community (they even said that he “barely studied”), attracted the attention of critics. She was praised by M.-B. Butard, advising the aspiring artist to take up the battle genre, which in the era of the Empire was placed above the rest. J. Durdan, who published an analysis of the painting in the Galeries de Peinture Française, spoke of Géricault as “perhaps the best of all our painters.” David himself noted the painting.
Probably, the success of “Officer ...” gave Gericault the idea of creating a series dedicated to the military history of Napoleonic France. But he, unlike the famous masters of that era, did not conceive large-scale works with images of battles and parades, but sought to convey the “spirit of the times” in portraits of soldiers and officers, representatives of all branches of the military (“Portrait of a Carabinieri Officer”, “Trumpeter of the Hussars”, "Three Buglers", "Veteran", "Soldier's Head"). Géricault was not bound by the terms of official orders, like Gros, Girodet and David, and therefore was free in his interpretation of what was happening. His works of 1813-1815 are distinguished by “a bright pictorial temperament, and sometimes subtle psychologism.” They were certainly written from specific people, but there are no clearly expressed individualities here; attention is dominated by the person as a bearer of traits of one type or another.
Paris first saw “Officer of the Mounted Imperial Chasseurs during an Attack” when it became known about the defeat of the French army in Russia (autumn 1812), and at the Salon of 1814 this composition was exhibited in pairs with “Wounded Cuirassier Leaving the Battlefield” ( Paris, Louvre). The 1814 Salon took place after the fall of Napoleon, and Géricault's paintings were the only reminder of the already passing tragic and glorious era, standing out among the works of other artists who chose neutral themes. Art critics, in their reviews of the Salon, either wrote nothing about Géricault’s works or spoke disapprovingly of them.
Gericault's actions at that time were so contradictory that the artist's biographers find it difficult to explain what guided him in his decisions. At the end of 1814 (December), with the assistance of his father and uncle, he, who had recently evaded military duty, acquired a patent to serve in a musketeer company under the command of Lauriston, a privileged military unit. During the Hundred Days, Géricault was in the escort of Louis XVIII, who was fleeing, then, disguised as a peasant, the artist moved to Normandy, where he probably remained until mid-summer 1815.
Italy
Géricault, like many European artists, sought to visit Italy to study the works of the old masters. Funds for the trip could be obtained by taking part in a competition at the School of Fine Arts, and Géricault originally intended to write the composition "Dying Paris" for him. However, the work did not work out, and the artist raised funds for the trip by making landscape panels for the house of one of his friends in Villers-Cotterets. This circumstance gave Gericault a free hand: having won the School competition, he would have been obliged to spend six years in Italy (the full duration of his retirement trip), which was not part of his plans. The artist left France for a while for another reason, this time of a personal nature. At that time, he entered into a love affair with his uncle's wife, Alexandrina-Modest Caruel, and was afraid of her discovery.
He visited Naples, painted local landscapes and residents, and studied the works of artists of the Neapolitan school. Gericault spent most of his time in Rome. Having seen Michelangelo's works with his own eyes (he was especially impressed by the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel), Géricault, as Clément reports, was shocked. He is fascinated by the monumentalization of forms, and his pen drawings, reminiscent of Michelangelo's drawings (for example, "Man Slaying a Bull"), became some of the most interesting executed in Rome.
Having Guerin's recommendations with him, the artist met with pensioners of the French Academy, whose ideals he did not share. However, his close acquaintances in Rome were Auguste (since 1814 he worked mainly as a sculptor), Schnetz (at that time engaged in genre painting), Thomas and Robert. Géricault was looking for subjects for a large composition or several compositions. At first he was attracted to pictures of everyday life, genre or street scenes, but soon the artist cooled towards “sentimental “Italianism”” (Turchin), and he was not interested in ancient myths and ancient history.
Inspiration came at the end of the Roman carnival, in early February 1817. The holiday ended with a competition of bareback horses running through the streets of the city from Piazza del Popolo to the Venetian Palace. A passionate lover of horses, Gericault created a number of paintings on this subject. He conceived a grandiose composition (about 10 meters long). For her, sketches are either precisely captured, well-defined motifs (in the words of Charles Clément, “like portraits”), or variants of a generalized rendering of nature. Gericault worked in a modern and classical antique style (finishing the work in an ancient style). For a pictorial sketch (1817, Baltimore, Walter Art Gallery), he used the composition of a popular engraving of the time depicting a competition, in a classicist spirit. Géricault gave the scene a more vital and modern character by using intense color; achieved greater expression by slightly reducing the space and framing the stands with spectators and the figures of grooms holding animals. Another variation of the theme is several sketches designed in an antique manner; of these, art historians recognize the most successful version, which is now kept in Rouen (“Horse Stopped by Slaves”). According to Charles Clément, it is she who is closest to the canvas conceived by Gericault. In this work, the artist successfully synthesized his observations of Poussin’s landscapes, the “rhythms of the Parthenon” (Turchin), the results of studying human images by Michelangelo and the Mannerists. Finally, in the last (according to Clément) sketch (Paris, Louvre), Géricault turned to generalizing the image. This time he again chose the moment before the start, violating the laws of perspective construction for the sake of greater expressiveness and expression of the composition.
In September 1817, Gericault left Italy. He himself assessed the year he spent there as “unhappy and sad”; apparently, this was due to loneliness, troubles in his personal life and, most of all, dissatisfaction with the results of his work: he never satisfied his thirst for the grandiose, the epic, which possessed many artists of that time . He failed to break out of the framework of intimacy and create a work that was large-scale and addressed to people.
"The Raft of the Medusa"
In the fall of 1817, the book “The Death of the Frigate Medusa” was published. Eyewitnesses of the event, engineer-geographer Alexandre Correard and doctor Henri Savigny, described in it one of the most tragic episodes in the history of the French fleet - a thirteen-day wandering of a raft with frigate passengers who abandoned the ship, which ran aground near the Canary Islands. The book (probably this was already its second edition) fell into the hands of Gericault, who saw in the story a plot for his large canvas. He perceived the drama “Medusa” not only and not so much as a “didactic example of narrow political significance” (the captain of the frigate, a former emigrant, who was assigned most of the blame for the death of the passengers on the raft, was appointed under patronage), but as a universal story.
Gericault followed the path of reconstructing what happened through researching the materials available to him and meeting with witnesses and, as Clément says, compiled “a dossier of testimony and documents.” The artist met Correard and Savigny, and probably even painted their portraits. He thoroughly studied their book, possibly a publication with lithographs that fairly accurately depicted the episodes of the tragic event. A carpenter who served on the frigate made a small copy of the raft for Gericault. The artist himself made figures of people from wax and, placing them on the raft, studied the composition from different points of view, perhaps resorting to the help of a camera obscura. According to researchers, Géricault might have been familiar with Savigny’s brochure “Review of the influence of hunger and thirst experienced after the sinking of the frigate “Medusa”” (1818). He visited hospital morgues, making sketches of death heads, emaciated bodies, severed limbs; in his studio, according to the testimony of the artist O. Raffe, he created something like an anatomical theater. The preparatory work was completed by a trip to Le Havre, where Gericault painted sketches of the sea and sky.
Art critic Lorenz Eitner identified several main plots that Gericault developed: “Rescue of the Victims,” “Battle on the Raft,” “Cannibalism,” “The Appearance of the Argus.” In total, in the process of choosing a plot, the artist created about a hundred works; the scenes of rescue and cannibalism on a raft turned out to be the most interesting for him.
Finally, Géricault settled on one of the moments of greatest tension in history: the morning of the last day of the raft's drift, when the few survivors saw the ship Argus on the horizon. Géricault rented a studio that could accommodate the grandiose canvas he had planned, and worked on it for eight months, almost without leaving the studio.
Géricault created a composition of four groups of characters, abandoning the classical constructions using parallel lines, he formed an energetic diagonal. From the group with dead bodies and the father bending over his dead son, the viewer’s gaze is directed to four figures at the mast. In dynamic contrast to their restraint are the people trying to rise and the group giving signals. The ocean does not take up much space on the huge canvas, but the artist managed to convey the feeling of “the scale of the raging elements.”
According to Vernet’s student and friend of Gericault, Antoine Montfort, Theodore painted directly on an unfinished canvas (“on a white surface”, without underpainting or colored primer), on which only a preparatory drawing was applied. However, his hand was firm:
“I observed with what close attention he looked at the model before touching the canvas with his brush; he seemed to be extremely slow, although in fact he acted quickly: his stroke fell exactly in its place, so that there was no need for any corrections.” .
David wrote in the same way in his time, whose method was familiar to Gericault from the time of his apprenticeship with Guerin.
Gericault was completely absorbed in work, he abandoned social life, only a few friends came to see him. He began writing early in the morning, as soon as the light allowed, and worked until the evening.
The Raft of the Medusa received mixed reviews from French critics and the public. Only years later the painting was appreciated.
Last years
Notes
- artist list of the National Museum of Sweden - 2016.
- , With. 12.
- , With. 12-14.
- , With. 14.
- , With. 16-17.
- , With. 18.
- , With. 18-19.
- , With. 19-20.
- , With. 22-23.
- , With. 23.
- Gericault had a large collection of engravings (not always of good quality) made from paintings that were in the largest Italian art collections. Albums with such engravings were very popular in that era.
- , With. 23, 26.
- , With. 26.
