Writing Assignment #3 Composition

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The Raft of the Medusa is an oil painting by French artist Théodore Gèricault. This painting depicts the wreck of the French ship “The Méduse”, which crashed off the coast of Mauritania on July 5, 1816. Which caused the death of 147 people. The remaining 30 sailors were set adrift on a raft they constructed.The remaining sailors survived on the raft for only a few days eventually resorting to cannibalism in till they eventually died. The crash of the Méduse became a symbol of the incompetence of the French monarchy. Following the French revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte took power. The was outset by the sixth coalition and King Louis XVI blood line was restored to power in France. The in after two years of power, the failure of “The Méduse” turned popular opinion back against the royal family who was once again overthrown from two 13 years later. Painter Théodore Gèricault did his best to use compassion to capture complete the shire hopelessness, and doom felt that day by the sailors that day.
The main thing that stands out in this painting is the uneven weight of the painting. The weight of the painting is in bottom of the painting in a semicircle. The uneven balance, of weight, makes it impossible for the painting to have symmetry. Which further adds to the sense of doom and hopelessness of the crash. Symmetry makes a painting appear unified and organized. Like a landscape painting were the balanced weight of the painting, and clear symmetry adds a calming effect and allows you to take in the whole scene.This piece uses the exact opposite approach of symmetry, and balance of weight, to create a disorganized chaotic piece. About doom and hopelessness in the face of this tragedy,
In the painting the raft appears to be la...

... middle of paper ...

...y and captured the horror and tragedy of the event. Gèricault uses elements of composition to capture the pure emotion the sailors are feeling. First use of composition is the imbalance of the painting, adding to the sense of despair, and hopelessness of the situation. . The next use of composition is the use of disproportionate scale of the people in the painting. They are a lot larger in scale compared to the raft that they are all floating on. This illustrates the knowledge that they will not all be to survive this crash. There are too many people trying to survive on such a small raft. The last piece of composition that is used to tell the story is the use of variety to communicate the doom of the station. Gèricault use of composition to capture the true emotion of hopelessness, and doom that the surviving crew is facing floating on their raft doomed to death.

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