Compositional Study? (possibly for "Poussin’s Deluge") (verso)

1816

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Compositional Study? (possibly for "Poussin’s Deluge") (verso) is a 1816 by Théodore Géricault, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Théodore Géricault
When & what style?: 1816 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a small, rough sketch of a man and a horse fighting to stay above water. The man grips the horse’s mane, both figures twisted in panic. This isn’t an original idea—it’s Géricault copying a tiny part of a much older painting by Poussin. Around 1815, he started drawing like this, using thick outlines and broad strokes to mimic old-master style. It’s like he’s practicing, not inventing. If you like this raw energy, look up *sfumato*—a technique that softens edges, the opposite of Géricault’s sharp lines here.

The story of this work

Overview

Géricault's drawing of a man clutching the mane of a horse as they struggle together to stay afloat is a direct copy of a detail from one of Nicolas Poussin's (1594-1665) most celebrated paintings, The Deluge, or Winter (see photo). Small in scale but monumental in feeling, the sheet exemplifies the artist's "antique manner" of drawing, which he began to develop around 1815. This style, with its heavy contour lines and broad washes, developed in tandem with Géricault's renewed interest in copying works of art from the past, such as prints after ancient sculpture and works by Raphael…

Read the full account in the museum source.