Paperink

1992.20

William A. McGill

Gift

Gift of William A. McGill

1822

16 x 20

7-1/16 in

9-3/16 in

Selections From The Permanent Collection (2010)

Cultural/Historical Context

"Although best known for painting The Raft of the Medusa, Théodore Géricault is also recognized as one of the first artists to explore the new medium of lithography which was patented by Alois Senefelder in 1799. With a flair for action and bravura, his lithographs most often featured horses and cavalrymen. This particular lithograph is from a series of twelve horse studies, Etudes de Chevaux, published in 1822, printed by Gottfried Engelmann. One admirer of the lithographs was Eugéne Delacroix who found inspiration and began making his own lithographs soon after. Gericault's reputation as a trailblazer for the Romantic movement was only heightened by his early death. His immense influence is all the more remarkable when one considers that he suffered from tuberculosis through his twenties and died when only 32. "