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''The Raft of the Medusa'' ((フランス語:Le Radeau de la Méduse)) is an oil painting of 1818–1819 by the French Romantic painter and lithographer Théodore Géricault (1791–1824). Completed when the artist was 27, the work has become an icon of French Romanticism. At 491 cm × 716 cm (16′ 1″ × 23′ 6″),〔Berger, Klaus. ''Géricault and His Work''. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1955. 78.〕 it is an over-life-size painting that depicts a moment from the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate ''Méduse'', which ran aground off the coast of today's Mauritania on July 2, 1816. On July 5, 1816 at least 147 people were set adrift on a hurriedly constructed raft; all but 15 died in the 13 days before their rescue, and those who survived endured starvation and dehydration and practiced cannibalism. The event became an international scandal, in part because its cause was widely attributed to the incompetence of the French captain perceived to be acting under the authority of the recently restored French monarchy. In reality, King Louis XVIII had no say in the captain's appointment, since monarchs were not directly involved in appointments made to vessels like a naval frigate. The appointment of the vicomte de Chaumareys as captain of the ''Méduse'' would have been a routine naval appointment, made within the Ministry of the Navy.〔For Louis XVIII's real political actions and appointments, see P. Mansel, ''Louis XVIII'' (London, 1981), and for the general political climate of the period, see Munro Price, ''The Perilous Crown: France between Revolutions'' (London, 2007).〕 In choosing the tragedy as subject matter for his first major work—an uncommissioned depiction of an event from recent history—Géricault consciously selected a well-known incident that would generate great public interest and help launch his career.〔"(The Raft of the Medusa )". Louvre. Retrieved on November 19, 2008.〕 The event fascinated the young artist, and before he began work on the final painting, he undertook extensive research and produced many preparatory sketches. He interviewed two of the survivors, and constructed a detailed scale model of the raft. His efforts took him to hospitals and morgues where he could view, first-hand, the colour and texture of the flesh of the dying and dead. As the artist had anticipated, the painting proved highly controversial at its first appearance in the 1819 Paris Salon, attracting passionate praise and condemnation in equal measure. However, it established his international reputation, and today is widely seen as seminal in the early history of the Romantic movement in French painting. Although ''The Raft of the Medusa'' retains elements of the traditions of history painting, in both its choice of subject matter and its dramatic presentation, it represents a break from the calm and order of the then-prevailing Neoclassical school. Géricault's work attracted wide attention almost immediately from its first showing, and was subsequently exhibited in London. It was acquired by the Louvre soon after the artist's early death at the age of 32. The painting's influence can be seen in the works of Eugène Delacroix, J. M. W. Turner, Gustave Courbet, and Édouard Manet. == Background == (詳細はfrigate ''Méduse'' departed from Rochefort, bound for the Senegalese port of Saint-Louis. She headed a convoy of three other ships: the storeship ''Loire'', the brig ''Argus'' and the corvette ''Écho''. Viscount Hugues Duroy de Chaumereys had been appointed captain of the frigate despite having scarcely sailed in 20 years.〔Zarzeczny, Matthew. "Theodore Géricault's 'The Raft of the Méduse' Part I". ''Member's Bulletin of The Napoleonic Society of America'', Fall 2001.〕〔Zarzeczny, Matthew. "Theodore Géricault's 'The Raft of the Méduse' Part II". ''Member's Bulletin of The Napoleonic Society of America'', Spring 2002.〕 The frigate's mission was to accept the British return of Senegal under the terms of France's acceptance of the Peace of Paris. The appointed French governor of Senegal, Colonel Julien-Désiré Schmaltz, and his wife and daughter were among the passengers.〔Jore, Léonce (1953) "(La vie diverse et volontaire du colonel Julien, Désiré Schmaltz )". ''Revue d'histoire des colonies''. Vol. 40, No. 139, pp. 265–312.〕 In an effort to make good time, the ''Méduse'' overtook the other ships, but due to poor navigation it drifted off course. On July 2, it ran aground on a sandbank off the West African coast, near today's Mauritania. The collision was widely blamed on the incompetence of De Chaumereys, a returned émigré who lacked experience and ability, but had been granted his commission as a result of an act of political preferment.〔Grigsby, Darcy Grimaldo. ''Extremities: Painting Empire in Post-Revolutionary France''. Yale University Press, 2002. 174–78. ISBN 0-300-08887-6〕〔Trapp, Frank Anderson. "Gericault's 'Raft of the Medusa', by Lorenz Eitner. ''The Art Bulletin'', Volume 58 No 1, March, 1976. 134–37〕〔Eitner, 191–192〕 Efforts to free the ship failed, so, on July 5, the frightened passengers and crew started an attempt to travel the to the African coast in the frigate's six boats. Although the ''Méduse'' was carrying 400 people, including 160 crew, there was space for only about 250 in the boats. The remainder of the ship's complement—at least 146 men and one woman—were piled onto a hastily-built raft, that partially submerged once it was loaded. Seventeen crew members opted to stay aboard the grounded ''Méduse''. The captain and crew aboard the other boats intended to tow the raft, but after only a few miles the raft was turned loose.〔Borias, 2:19〕 For sustenance the crew of the raft had only a bag of ship's biscuit (consumed on the first day), two casks of water (lost overboard during fighting) and six casks of wine.〔Savigny & Corréard, 59–60, 76, 105〕 According to critic Jonathan Miles, the raft carried the survivors "to the frontiers of human experience. Crazed, parched and starved, they slaughtered mutineers, ate their dead companions and killed the weakest."〔〔Miles, Jonathan. "(Death and the masterpiece )". ''The Times'', March 24, 2007. Retrieved on November 20, 2008.〕 After 13 days, on July 17, 1816, the raft was rescued by the ''Argus'' by chance—no particular search effort was made by the French for the raft.〔Borias, 2:38〕 By this time only 15 men were still alive; the others had been killed or thrown overboard by their comrades, died of starvation, or thrown themselves into the sea in despair.〔Four or five of the survivors died later aboard the ''Argus''.〕 The incident became a huge public embarrassment for the French monarchy, only recently restored to power after Napoleon's defeat in 1815.〔Brandt, Anthony. "Swept Away: When Gericault Painted the Raft of the Medusa, He Immersed Himself in His Subject's Horrors". ''American Scholar'', Autumn 2007.〕〔The other boats became separated and though most eventually arrived at St Louis Island in Senegal, some put ashore further along the coast and lost some of their party to heat and starvation. Of the 17 men that remained behind on the ''Méduse'' only 3 were still alive when rescued by the British 42 days later.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Raft of the Medusa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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