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Derek Carruthers
Watercolor Interpretation of the The Raft of the Medusa After Théodore Géricault

1991

$457.12
£335.44
€380
CA$621.44
A$696.09
CHF 361.89
MX$8,595.32
NOK 4,610.19
SEK 4,358.22
DKK 2,892.48
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About the Item

Watercolour on paper interpretation of the Raft of the Medusa by English artist Derek Carruthers. The work is signed and titled to the back of the paper. A vivid and engaging interpretation of a famous work by Théodore Géricault. Carruthers has used a distinctive but limited colour palette and loose style to great effect, creating a work that is classic but modern at the same time. Derek Carruthers was an artist who persisted in asking questions. His interpretation of this painting can be seen in the context of his exploration of his own style and influences. His whole career was inspired by the determination to enquire into the nature of art, examine its purpose, and attempt to explore that place where the individual life of the mind meets the external appearance of the world where personal sensation rubs up against cultural assumptions. Not surprisingly, Carruthers explored, over the years, a language of pure form, abstract space, 2 and 3 dimensions, narrative and concept, personal and universal figuration. Looking back, over decades of work, however, each of these voices is pursuing a coherent set of questions, reflecting on the stuff of human experience. Carruthers’ individual pieces can intrigue and charm, they can be warm and poetic and they can also offer gritty resistance to the easy gaze. They can challenge us to think about ourselves, our environment, our expectations, our place in the world. The Raft of the Medusa (French: Le Radeau de la Méduse) – originally titled Scène de Naufrage (Shipwreck Scene) – is an oil painting of 1818–19 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 by 716 cm (16 ft 1 in by 23 ft 6 in)] 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 2 July 1816. On 5 July 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. Géricault chose this large-scale uncommissioned work to launch his career, using a subject that had already generated widespread public interest. The event fascinated him, 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. He visited hospitals and morgues where he could view, first-hand, the colour and texture of the flesh of the dying and dead. As he 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 prevailing Neoclassical school. Géricault's work attracted wide attention from its first showing and was then exhibited in London. The Louvre acquired it soon after the artist's death at age 32. The painting's influence can be seen in the works of Eugène Delacroix, J. M. W. Turner, Gustave Courbet, and Édouard Manet.
  • Creator:
    Derek Carruthers (1935 - 2021, British)
  • Creation Year:
    1991
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 16.54 in (42 cm)Width: 23.63 in (60 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Small round imperfection top right original to the hand made rag paper, see photo.
  • Gallery Location:
    Cotignac, FR
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: LG/Carruthers/Medusa1stDibs: LU1430213824402

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