Théodore Géricault
Théodore Géricault was a French Romantic artist who lived from 1791 to 1824.
Géricault was born in Rouen, France, to an upper middle-class family. His family moved to Paris in 1797, when he was 5 years old. Though he had shown an early promise in art, his father did not want him to pursue it as a career. After his mother died in 1808, he received an annuity which gave him some form of financial independence. In 1808, at 17 years old, Géricault started secretly studying art under Carle Vernet. Vernet specialized in military paintings, genre paintings, and equestrian paintings. In 1810, wanting a more formal training, he studied classical figure art under Pierre-Narcisse Guérin. After 11 months, he opted instead to just paint the masters at the Louvre.
At the Louvre, he copied such art masters as Rembrandt, Velázquez, and Titian. Artists commonly went to the Louvre, to get instruction by copying works of the masters. In 1812, Géricault got banned from the Louvre for getting into an argument with another artist.
In 1812, Géricault first exhibited at the esteemed Paris Salon. His painting did not sell, though it was received favorable reviews. In 1814, he exhibited again at the Salon, and his art again did not sell. Disgruntled, Géricault quit he pursuance of art and served as a Gray Musketeer, a mounted calvary guard, spending time at Versailles. At Versailles, he found himself studying the horses in the stables and spent the next few years honing his skill of painting horses and calvary men. In 1815, Louis XVIII was exiled and Géricault and his fellow musketeers followed the king and hid. When the king was allowed back to Paris, Géricault completed his military service and returned to his art, he returned to military themed pieces.
In 1818, Géricault had a controversial son, Georges-Hippolyte, with his maternal aunt. The two had a secret relationship for decades. When the affair was found out, the family separated the two. In protest, Géricault shaved his head and turned all his attention to his art.
In 1819, Géricault completed what would become his most famous painting, “The Raft of the Medusa”. It depicted the harrowing last hours of a recent shipwreck that became a national disaster. In 1819, the painting was exhibited at the annual Paris Salon and, though it was awarded a gold medal, received conflicted reviews for the political undertones. In 1820, Géricault toured the painting through England, where it was positively received. In London, Géricault was exposed to the English poor, which affected him greatly.
In 1821, he returned to France and his first project was a series of portraits of the insane. He continued to work, getting bolder with his planned pieces. Géricault’s health was plagued from frequent accidents while riding horses, frail health, and chronic tuberculosis, and his health continued to decline. In 1823, he became bedridden, though he continued his work.
Géricault died in 1824 at just 32 years old. Months later, the Louvre purchased “The Raft of Medusa”.
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