Interpreting Emotions in 'The Raft of the Medusa'

One of the most powerful works of art known to man is Raft of the Medusa by Theodore Géricault. The piece was made around 1818-1819 and its medium is oil on canvas. The subjects of this specific work of art are the people on the raft. They are the people who had either survived, or perished in a wreck while on the stormy ocean. Some of the men on the raft seem to be hopeful that they will survive, while others mourn the death of those lost in the wreckage. The ones who seem to be hopeful appear to be waving down a boat in the horizon, while most do not seem to notice the boat. The Raft of the Medusa is an extraordinarily complex work of art. The purpose of this painting is to capture the raw emotion of people in unfortunate situations, and to show the hopeful and the despaired. Theodore Géricault does this through his uses of dark and bright colors that contributes to the feelings of mournfulness and hope. While the stormy waves add to the hectic and desperate feel of the piece and captures the brutality of nature.

What stands out in Raft of the Medusa is the man at the end of raft. He is using garments of clothing to wave down the boat in the distance. While he is not the tallest figure in the piece, he is standing in front of the horizon, the brightest part, making him the focal point. He is the symbol

of hope amongst despair. However, on the darkest side of the painting is where the despair is. You see a man surrounded by corpses, mourning the death of another. It is almost as if the painting is unbalanced. The darker side represents the mournfulness, while the other half represents the hope. The splitting sides of the work of art also contributes to the intense mood of the piece.
The Raft of the Medusa contains two intense moods.

The center of the painting contains a pyramid-like shape. There are the bodies of the dead at the bottom that slowly lead up to the hopeful living. This pyramid is representing the rise from death to hope. Because of this, two intense moods are established throughout the work of art; hope and despair. Even though there are two prominent moods of the piece, the interpretation of the piece can be described as hopeful. Despite the bodies of the dead shown in the painting, the energy of the hopeful overpowers the death. Their will to live outshines the desperate feelings given off from the bodies and the

mourners.
Because of the pyramid shape, the composition of the piece is arranged in a stable manner. You have the left half of the raft, which is dark and full of corpses and mourners. The bodies lay on the raft with no movement. While on the right half, you have the people waving in hope towards the bright horizon. The piece gradually goes from no movement, to people full of energy trying to flag down another boat. The crashing waves around the raft also give the painting life. Even though there are people dead, the waves give a reminder that the world continues to move on despite their deaths. The balance of movement and arranged parts gives the Raft of the Medusa a stable yet dynamic feel.
The movement of the people and waves also adds to the natural look of the proportions. There is a balance of stillness and movement throughout the work of art. The waves around the raft contribute to the naturalistic feel of the piece. They do not appear to be still, but almost as if they are really moving. The waves are not only crashing around the raft, but the viewer can see the waves soak onto the raft as well. The people are in realistic poses, which further adds to the naturalistic look of the painting. Their bodies are strewn about in natural poses, whether they are dead or alive. The wind also contributes to the natural look of the cloths the people are holding. The cloths do not seem stiff, but rather they appear to be moving due the indication of wind. The natural movement throughout the piece not only adds to the natural look of the proportions, but to the emotion of the piece as well. The movement of the waves and the people all while surrounding the dead, shows the intense emotion of despair and hope in this work of art. The poses of the people also add to the natural and realistic feel of the work. The figures to the right are portraying active and hurried movement. They appear to be panicked while trying to flag down the other boat. Because of their panicked like movements, they add to the realistic feel of the piece. The man on the left side of the boat has an almost relaxed look. Despite mourning while holding a semi-nude body, the man appears to be calm. He seems as if he is accepting his fate and the brutality of nature. Both of these figures do not relate nor interact with one another, but rather they are divided by their emotions.
The uses of colors, lights and shadows also contribute to the intensity of the Raft of the Medusa.