Gericault Delacroix

French Romanticism:The Art of Géricault & Delacroix: 

French Romanticism: The Art of Géricault & Delacroix

Raft of the MedusaThéodore Géricault1818oil on canvas16’1” x 23’6”Louvre, Paris: 

Raft of the Medusa Théodore Géricault 1818 oil on canvas 16’1” x 23’6” Louvre, Paris Read a short biography with references to Géricault’s works. [Artchive.com] Read more about Géricault at the Getty Museum’s website. Read an account of the story behind Raft of the Medusa. Read an article regarding the development of this painting, Raft of the Medusa. 1

Raft of the Medusa (detail): 

Raft of the Medusa (detail) 2

Portrait of a Woman Suffering from Obsessive EnvyThéodore Géricault1822oil on canvas28” x 23”Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyons, FR: 

Portrait of a Woman Suffering from Obsessive Envy Théodore Géricault 1822 oil on canvas 28” x 23” Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyons, FR Between 1821 and 1824, Géricault painted portraits of the insane for his friend, Doctor Etienne Jean Georget, who believed that various types of madness manifested themselves in unique facial contortions. Read more about this. 3

The Woman with Gambling ManiaThéodore Géricault1822oil on cnavas30” x 26”Louvre, Paris: 

The Woman with Gambling Mania Théodore Géricault 1822 oil on cnavas 30” x 26” Louvre, Paris 4

Self-PortraitEugene Delacroix1837oil on canvas25 1/4” x 20”Louvre, ParisVisit the Musée national Eugene Delacroix to learn more about his life and times. (Note: In French only.): 

Self-Portrait Eugene Delacroix 1837 oil on canvas 25 1/4” x 20” Louvre, Paris Visit the Musée national Eugene Delacroix to learn more about his life and times. (Note: In French only.) Read a biography of Delacroix with references to his paintings. [Artchive.com] Read Wikipedia’s entry on Delacroix and his major works (many of which follow in this slideshow). 5 “Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot attain it in anything.” - E. Delacroix

Massacre at ChiosEugene Delacroix1824oil on canvas13’7” x 11’ 10”Louvre, Paris: 

Massacre at Chios Eugene Delacroix 1824 oil on canvas 13’7” x 11’ 10” Louvre, Paris Q 6.1: What is the story being told in this painting? Q 6.2: What is the tone of the painting? What do the characters in the painting tell you? Q 6.3: It is said that Delacroix’s use of color in this painting was affected by Constable’s Hay Wain (see next slide). What similarities do you see? 6

Slide8: 

The Hay Wain, John Constable, 1821 7

The Death of SardanapalusEugene Delacroix1827oil on canvasapprox. 13’ x 16 1/4’Louvre, Paris: 

The Death of Sardanapalus Eugene Delacroix 1827 oil on canvas approx. 13’ x 16 1/4’ Louvre, Paris Q 8.1: What is the story behind the Death of Sardanapalus Q 8.2: How does the composition of this painting work? Compare it with Géricault’s Raft of Medusa or David’s Oath of the Horatii. Q 8.3: What is/are the focal point(s) of this painting? This painting is sometimes referred to as an “Oriental” and/or “erotic” painting. 8

Liberty Leading the PeopleEugene Delacroix1830oil on canvas8 1/2’ x 10 1/2’Louvre, Paris: 

Liberty Leading the People Eugene Delacroix 1830 oil on canvas 8 1/2’ x 10 1/2’ Louvre, Paris Read a .pdf of Simon Lee’s article on Liberty Leading the People and its meaning in its historical context. 9

Algerian Women in their ApartmentsEugene Delacroix1834oil on canvas71” x 90 1/4”Louvre, Paris: 

Algerian Women in their Apartments Eugene Delacroix 1834 oil on canvas 71” x 90 1/4” Louvre, Paris In 1832, Delacroix visits Morocco to visit non-French, non-European, non-Christian cultures, and he documents his travels in his paintings. Q 10.1: How does one consider this to be a Romantic painting? Why does it get categorized as such? 10

Tiger HuntEugene Delacroix1854oil on canvas2’ 5” x 3’Louvre, Paris: 

Tiger Hunt Eugene Delacroix 1854 oil on canvas 2’ 5” x 3’ Louvre, Paris Q 11.1: Romantics are interested in the role of Nature in the lives of humankind. How does Delacroix address this in his painting? 11

Lion HuntEugene Delacroix1854oil sketch2’ 9” x 3’ 9”Musée d’Orsay, Paris: 

Lion Hunt Eugene Delacroix 1854 oil sketch 2’ 9” x 3’ 9” Musée d’Orsay, Paris Q 12.1: What seems remarkable about the style and or technique of this oil sketch? 12

Arab Horses Fighting in a StableEugene Delacroix1860oil on canvas25” x 32”Louvre, Paris: 

Arab Horses Fighting in a Stable Eugene Delacroix 1860 oil on canvas 25” x 32” Louvre, Paris 13

Key Concepts: 

Key Concepts Théodore Géricault and Eugene Delacroix are the two most important French Romantics, both painting in the first half of the 19th century. Both artists were affected by the Revolution and went on to address social issues in their paintings. Géricualt is best known for his painting Raft of the Medusa, which was a painting of a contemporary event on a grand, historical scale. He also painted the insane and mad at a French asylum. Delacroix was interested in the exotic and dramatic. His paintings of hunts, as well as of exotic interiors and figures shows his interest in non-European cultures. Delacroix is considered the great colorist of the century, and Van Gogh will consider him as his greatest influence. The French romantics often use an “X” shape for their composition. (Medusa and Sardanapalus)