CaylaCatz on BudgetPixel

Tea with Alice and the Cheshire Cat Special Guest Star: artist Théodore Géricault In 1818–1819, Géricault painted one of the most shocking works of its century: “The Raft of the Medusa.” The story behind it was more sensational than the painting. When a French naval frigate ran aground about sixty miles off the African coast, there weren’t enough lifeboats for everyone. The captain, officers, and other high‑ranking passengers took the six available boats — enough for about 250 people. The remaining 150 were put a hastily built raft stocked with only a bag of biscuits and wine. No fresh water. The plan was for the boats to tow the raft to shore. But the raft was heavy, the seas were rough, and soon the captain ordered the tow line cut. The boats continued on and eventually reached land, where most of their passengers survived the trek across Africa to safety. They did not send anyone back to rescue the raft. For thirteen days, the people aboard the raft endured starvation, dehydration, violence, and finally cannibalism of the dead. After 13 days, when a British ship rescue rescued them, only fifteen remained alive. At least one more died shortly after the rescue. When the survivors reach France, their testimony ignited a national scandal. The French government tried to suppress the story, but the newspapers seized it — turning the tragedy into a monumental that exposed the corruption, cowardice, and human suffering the authorities wanted forgotten. Géricault researched the painting, interviewing the survivors. The artist didn't blame the survivors for their suffering. Like many, he blamed the king and government for putting an inexperienced political appointee as captain of as ship. His painting was very intense and caused a furor in France.

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