Introduction: Styles
- Realistic. This style is explained by the fact that the events depicted in the picture, precisely the struggle of the passengers who were left on the raft at sea for their lives, took place in real life. Furthermore, it reflects a situation that could actually happen.
- Representational. This style is established by the reflection of a real-life situation. However, even without considering the context, the viewer can see familiar things from the real world.
- Naturalistic. Although the central element of the picture is a raft with people, it is surrounded by the sea, which is vividly depicted by the painter.
Function
This painting carries the social function of depicting a historical event for people to know and remember human cruelty and stupidity. Due to his incompetence, the captain of Medusa wrecked the ship and then left 150 people for certain death. The survivors had to fight for life, kill, and even resort to cannibalism.
Visual Analysis
Various elements of the painting help convey the drama and horror of those events. Firstly, the picture has a double complementary color scheme. The bodies of people on board and the handkerchief in the hand of one of the men are mostly depicted in yellow-beige; the sky has the same shade complemented by orange. However, the sea, the raft itself, its masts, and part of the sky are dirty gray and black, and these colors prevail in the picture. This combination creates contrast and adds depth to the painting. The artist also uses applicable light, shadows, and various values to add volume to objects such as waves, the mast, and the people’s bodies.
In addition, the painting has three horizons of vision, which are used to focus attention. The bodies of people who are unconscious or exhausted are mainly in the foreground. The middle plan shows men who are trying to draw someone’s attention and still have enough strength to get to their feet. In the background, the artist portrays the sea, high waves, and sky with a gleam of the sun. Thus, the author probably wanted to emphasize the terrible state of the people on the raft, yet to show their desperate struggle for life.
The picture has an atmospheric perspective where the emphasis is gradually shifting from the people in the foreground to the upper right corner where the men are waving. It is also worth noting the movement that is in all the details of the image. The artist depicts an inflated sail, high waves that are almost breaking on the raft, and men who are talking to each other or waving. Although at the same time, the people at the front of the picture are motionless.
Plausible Meaning
A combination of light and shadows, dark and bright colors, as well as movement and stillness, shows that the painter wants to demonstrate despair of the people on board and a glimmer of hope. The people in the foreground are so weak that they can no longer react to the situation around them. Based upon his sight, the man who sits among the lying bodies appears to have lost all hope. At the same time, the men in the middle plan are excited because they see hope of salvation. This assumption is also emphasized by a glimpse of the sun among the black clouds in the background, which demonstrates that there is still a chance for rescue.
Iconography
- The glimpse of light in the sky is a symbol of hope.
- The direction of the sail is a sign of improvement as the raft is moving away from the black sky that portends a storm.
- The dark wave approaching the raft is a sign of failure, since the painter knew that the ship would sail away and return only after 12 hours.