User:Chris Geremia/The Wounded Cuirassier

Overview
The Wounded Cuirassier (French: Le Cuirassier blessé quittant le feu) is an oil painting of a single anonymous soldier descending a slope with his nervous horse by the French Romantic painter and lithographer Théodore Géricault (1791–1824). In this 1814 Salon entry, Géricault decided to abandon the specticales of battles and heroic generals in favor of a subject that is on the loosing side of the the battle. On display just a few months after Napoleon's fall from power, this life-size painting symbolized emperors fall from power. Though there are no visible wounds on the soldier, the injury the title is referencing is the soldiers pride. Additionally, Géricault generally created several drafts before settling on a final design and he completed three and completed his final in the span of only 3 weeks. This painting was unique among his others created around the same time like The Charging Chasseur. Only his Signboard of a Hoofsmith, which is currently in a private collection, bears any resemblance in form or function to this painting.

The final salon version of The Wounded Cuirassier is at the Musée du Louvre and the smaller, study version, is located at the Brooklyn Museum.

Artist and Setting
Théodore Géricault was born in Rouen, France in 1791 and studied art in the classroom from a young age. He grew up to leave Rouen and study at the Louvre from 1810 to 1815 where he created his first major work and critical success The Charging Chasseur for the Paris Salon of 1812. His next major addition to the salon was The Wounded Cuirassier in 1814 but was met with no celebration or praise for his rigorous work.

The year of 1814 was long for the french people as Paris fell to the sixth coalition and Napoleon was defeated and exiled from France. After hearing the public's negative criticism of The Wounded Cuirassier and the Bourbons had taken control of the country, Géricault decided to join the musketeers and entered a long study. After the regiment disbanded in 1816, Géricault left France to find inspiration and new styles in Rome.

Creation
The Wounded Cuirassier was not highly praised like Géricault had hoped because, on a fundamental note, he rushed to make it in 3 weeks and had created five separate sketches and drafts before the final, leaving it to be less artistically awing as his pervious works. Yet many critics also missed the juxtaposition he takes from his earlier works and uses in this piece on purpose to emphasis his message that France had been defeated.

Style and Composition
Géricault uses a similar style and technique to his previous works, yet portrays a completely unique situation for battle painting in that period. He decided to make the soldier unwounded, as the title suggests differently, or decides not to show it because he wants the viewers to know the real wound is internal, and as a nation. The soldier and horse are shown in a tense and vulnerable state as shown through the soldiers sword being used as a sort of crutch and mainly through the horses reaction throughout the canvas.

Animals can be used in paintings as an extension of the main subject so more emotion can be shown from the animals actions or expressions. Géricault is familiar with this technique and favored horses over the rest because of his knowledge and experience as a horseman. Usually, in these types of paintings a General is steadily controlling a horse to symbolize his control over his soldiers, but in The Wounded Cuirassier, he uses the horse's facial expressions and uneasy footing to emphasize the unsteadiness and terror of the soldier.

External links[edit]

 * The Wounded Cuirassier at the Brooklyn Museum website.
 * Cuirassier blessé quittant le feu at the Louvre official site (in French)