Art Captions

Author notes

0070. The Raft of the Medusa

CornTown

on March 14, 2010

0070. The Raft of the Medusa
By Theodore Géricault (1791-1824)
Circa. 1818-19
Romanticism

The raft of the Medusa is one of the most controversial paintings of the 19th century. It is based upon a true story of the warship Meduse (Medusa in English) which sank after crashing into the Bank of Arguin due to negligence of its captain, Viscount Hugues Duroy de Chaumareys . This was a huge deal because the bank was less that three miles from the coast of France. When the ship sank, Chaumareys quickly abandon his crew and escaped to safety. The remaining sailors who survived the crash fashioned a raft from the ship's wreckage and tried to sail to the shore. Most of them died and only a few returned alive. To make matters worse, Chaumareys went to find the remains of the ship fifty-three days after it had crashed in order to recover the ship's gold. When the wreck was discovered, three people were discovered still alive on it. This was a huge scandal for the French Monarchy who had just recently gained power back from Napoleon. In the end, Chaumarey was court marshaled and sentenced to death, however, he only spent three years in jail before becoming a free man.

Jacob “Corntown” Gray