Théodore Géricault on His Deathbed
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
45.6 × 55.6 cm (17 15/16 × 21 7/8 in.); Framed: 68 × 78.2 × 11.5 cm (26 3/4 × 31 × 4 1/2 in.)
Classification
oil on canvas
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
110776
Art Historical Context
Painted in 1824 by Charles Emile Champmartin, this intimate oil on canvas captures the French Romantic artist Théodore Géricault during his final days. Géricault, renowned for dramatic works like *The Raft of the Medusa*, died that year at just thirty-two from complications following a riding accident. Champmartin, a fellow painter and friend, created this small-scale portrait—measuring roughly 18 by 22 inches—to preserve a personal record of his colleague’s passing. The work reflects the Romantic era’s fascination with emotion, mortality, and the artist’s inner life. Oil paint’s rich texture...