An Analysis of "The Raft of the Medusa" by Theodore Gericault

For one of the activities that was part of the History of Narrative 3rd Lesson, we were supposed to find one artist whose works deal with a form of truth, that is, recording an event or phenomenon for the purpose of being a witness, a healer, a historian, an archivist.

The question is as follows:

Name one artist who makes work that deal with a form of truth (e.g. witness accounts, archive, history, etc). Describe an artwork by this artist.

What is the artist's aim in regards to the audience? How do you think the artist wants us to respond? Is the artwork effective in doing so? 

The artist I haven chosen is Theodore Gericault and his work, The Raft of the Medusa.

Gericault, Theodore, The Raft of the Medusa, 1819

The artwork is based on a real life account of a French Royal Navy frigate that ran aground. The passengers were abandoned by the captain and crew who saved themselves with the few lifeboats they had. A raft carried some 150 passengers on a cruise of starvation, cannibalism and death as they sailed for 13 days, hoping against hope that someone will save them from their living hell.

The artwork I feel fits all the above functions of truth but if I had to choose just one, I feel it embodies the role of a witness most of all. The artist actually made this work based on the first hand accounts of two survivors - two of the ten who actually made it out of the ordeal alive after the thirteen days. It was soon found out that the captain of the ship owed his appointment and loyalty to the monarchy and not to the people. Furthermore, the French government tried to cover up the incident. This was enough for Gericault to take up the cause: on the micro-level to depict the event in all its brutality and honesty, and on the macro, to comment on the larger issue of social injustice and corruption that permeated society.

His aim I feel could not be clearer. He wanted to depict the horror of the incident to spark greater feelings of anger and inquisitiveness in his viewers against political and social injustice. The cruel realism of writhing human forms, some gesturing in desperate hopefulness, others resigned and yet others strewn dead on the raft as they struggle against the waves and weather I feel show an intimate and passionate response by the artist to elicit similar reactions in his patrons.

If not for the figures and their expressions alone, I feel the artwork is effective in inciting a response of inquisitiveness at least and revolt at most by the artist's use of composition. By angling a somewhat downward look upon the scene, we are immediately confronted by death and despair. This certainly would elicit feelings of sadness and pity in viewers. But the viewers' gaze is forced upward to the few hopeful survivors who wave frantically for help. I feel that by doing so, Theodore Gericault ingeniously plays with our emotions. By first encouraging pity in the scene our eyes first meet, he prepares us to take on a thirst for justice by the time and at the time our eyes reach the waving man. This coupled with the artwork's appeal to romantic tastes for freedom and adventure, which were prevalently sweeping Europe at the time, I feel the artwork does very well in achieving Theodore's vision.