Theodore Gericault
French Romantic Painter, 1791-1824
was a profoundly influential French artist, painter and lithographer, known for The Raft of the Medusa and other paintings. Although he died young, he became one of the pioneers of the Romantic movement. Born in Rouen, France, Gericault was educated in the tradition of English sporting art by Carle Vernet and classical figure composition by Pierre-Narcisse Guerin, a rigorous classicist who disapproved of his student's impulsive temperament, but recognized his talent.[1] Gericault soon left the classroom, choosing to study at the Louvre instead, where he copied from paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, Diego Velezquez, and Rembrandt for about six years, from 1810 to 1815.
ID: 62847 The Epsom Derby 1821 Oil on canvas, 92 x 122 cm Musee du Louvre, Paris Painted in 1821, during Gericault's stay in London, the canvas takes its inspiration from English sporting prints, which frequently depict horses at the 'flying gallop' shown by the painter here. The invention of photography, by allowing the various movements of a galloping animal to be analysed, would allow it to be painted accurately, as Degas was to do in his Race-course paintings. Artist: GeRICAULT, Theodore Title: The Epsom Derby , painting Date: 1801-1850 French : other
