Fredy Erives
Mr. Miller
European History
March 8, 2018
The Raft of the Medusa
The Raft of the Medusa, by the artist Théodore Géricault, is a major artwork during the Romantic Movement in 1818. The painting depicts the horrors of the two week journey a group of 149 people had to endure. The gruesome journey caused brutal killings, insanity, and as a last resort for some, cannibalism. Upon displaying his work to the public, it received great appraisal as well as immense backlash. The realism portrayed by Géricault through the visual representation of death, agony, and hopelessness was sought to be provocative at the time. However, this sparked conversations among the public regarding the French Government’s late response in aiding the 149 people who were forced onto the makeshift raft. Out of the 149 people lost at sea, only 15 survivors were found when the raft was spotted, however 5 of those men died soon after their rescue. The people of France believed the Government should have responded sooner, but then again, these people were selected to be put on the raft since they were neither wealthy nor well-connected. This does not excuse the Government’s delayed response, but explains why they did not act quickly due to the lack...
