The Medusa By Jean Louis Theodore Gericault And The...

Although the untrained observer may see The Raft Of The Medusa by Jean-Louis-Theodore Gericault and The Nightmare by John Henry Fuseli as belonging to the same artistic group for their dark color palette and scary, somewhat â€Å"gothic† imagery, they’re from two artistic movements that are actually very different; the Neoclassical Era (1750-1860) and the Romantic Era (1800-1880). The Raft Of The Medusa is very unique for a Neoclassical painting in that it portrays a then-contemporary event (and not a very noble one, to boot) rather than the era’s usual heroic ancient subject matter but, if you look very carefully, the Neoclassical elements are still there in full force. For example, while you’d expect the survivors of a shipwreck to be emaciated, probably diseased etc., Gericault portrays the survivors in the painting with more idealized, strong, healthy bodies which, while incongruous with the situation at hand as I said before, fits perfectly within Ne oclassical ideals because it reflects the Classical tradition of always presenting the idealized human form, no matter what the situation. There is also a homage to Dante in the fact that the positions of a group of figures on the raft are meant to mirror those in a depiction of Count Ugolino and his sons. Also, Neoclassical paintings featured a heavy use of chiaroscuro (contrast between light and shadow for dramatic effect) and The Raft Of The Medusa has that in spades with the sunlight just barely peeking out behind the cloudShow MoreRelatedArt History Study Guide3003 Words   |  13 Pagesand Child with Saints, Orsanmichele, Florence * Pisano, Andrea –Life of John the Baptist/ Burial of John, S.Doors, Baptistery, Florence * Pisano, Nicola –Nativity/Pulpit, Baptistery, Pisa, * Pisano, Giovanni –Nativity/Pulpit, Sant’Andrea, Pistoia; Sienna Cath, W. faà §ade * Chapter 20 Northern Europe and Spain (15th century) * Northern Renaissance France * Fouquet, Jean – Etienne Chevalier and St. Stephens/ Virgin and Child, Melun Diptych