Among the world's maritime accidents, the most famous and deadly is the "Titanic" incident.
Why did this early 19th-century ship rocking accident become so famous? The reason for this is also thanks to an earth-shattering masterpiece created by the young painter Cirico, "The Raft of Medusa".
The Raft of the Medusa, Theodor Cirrico, 1818-1819, oil painting, Musée du Louvre, France
Without the painting, not only the name of Captain Schmaltz, but even the incident itself might have been forgotten long ago.
In fact, the government at the time did put a lot of effort into eliminating the social impact of this matter.
It was a massacre in France in 1816.
Two years before the Revolution, the monarchy was restored. After Napoleon's fall, the younger brother of king Louis XVI (who died on the guillotine in the French Revolution) returned to France from exile and ascended the throne under the name of Louis XVIII.
The old king, who was in his old age, dreamed of bringing back to earth the rococo era of half a century ago, recalling from all over the world the nobles who had been in exile like himself for many years, and Count Shomare was one of them.
Because he claimed that he had worshipped a captain in exile and applied for real power as soon as he returned home, he immediately gained the rank of lieutenant colonel.
In fact, he had been away from warships and the sea for more than 20 years. It was such an embroidered pillow that had nothing but routines to stand out in the race for the head of the Mission to transport soldiers and migrants from France to the Senegalese colony in West Africa.
In fact, the voices of opposition are not in the minority.
However, Louis XVIII ignored the opinion that "people with real talent and practical ability should be selected to take on this great task". For the king, support for himself was far more important than ability.
In this way, Shomaré was honored as the captain of the flagship "Medusa" under the patronage of political factors, and with the explosive self-confidence characteristic of the incompetent, he followed the other three ships all the way to the scene of the shipwreck.
This chilling voyage finally "lived up to expectations" and reaped the result of "look, I said something was going to happen" earlier.
The Medusa lost contact with other ships while approaching the African continent.
Ignoring his subordinates' warnings, Shomare forcibly ordered the approach to the shoal, causing the vessel to hit the reef and deciding to abandon the vessel and escape before he could figure out what was damaged.
It was a time of high social hierarchy. Knowing full well that the lifeboats on board could not accommodate all 400 passengers, nobles, non-commissioned officers, and wealthy people, including Captain Shomalay, scrambled to occupy the lifeboats.
The passengers and crew of the lower classes were miserable, and they could only squeeze into a large raft that had been improvised and pulled them away by the lifeboat in front.
On the escape route, the sea was stormy from time to time, and the rope connecting the lifeboat and the raft was quickly broken, and the raft carrying a large number of survivors drifted away with the waves.
"Alas, pitiful, but I can't help it..." I think that this was the mental activity of Shomare at that time, otherwise how could he have returned to France without guilt?
On the other side, 184 men and 1 woman face hell on earth on that abandoned raft.
Pyramidal composition. At the bottom are those who have died, in the middle are those who die frequently, and above are the very few people who may have survived.
It was the coast of Africa in early summer. Under the scorching sun, they have only a very small amount of biscuits and drinking water, and the raft has become a battlefield for animalistic awakening and survival.
When the rescue ship arrived 13 days later, only 15 survived, and 5 of them died quickly.
At that time, blood stains and pieces of meat reminiscent of "cannibalism" were also found on rafts.
The model of the corpse was a friend of Cirico's, the future Romantic painter Delacroix
The newspaper reported the matter in a large section, and the criticism of the princes and nobles in public opinion became increasingly fierce. The government, reluctantly, sent Shomaré to court-martial, intending to quell the matter with the painless punishment of disrepute and 3 years' imprisonment.
Sadly, as time has passed, attention to this tragedy has indeed gradually decreased.
However, Sirico, who had just returned from his studies in Italy, was determined not to let the event become history.
Some people are still looking into the distance
Inheriting a huge fortune, he did not have to sell paintings for a living, and had a lot of time to devote himself to creation.
Cirico started with thorough interviews with survivors and related people, not only finding the heads of death row prisoners and severed hands to observe the decay, but also inviting friends such as Delacroix to act as nude models, actually building rafts with wooden planks in the studio, drawing countless drafts, and carefully studying the composition of the work.
Some people cling to the bodies of their loved ones and fall into contemplation
Three years after the incident, the work was finally completed. "The Raft of the Medusa" is exhibited in the official salon (official exhibition) under the title of "Shipwreck".
This historical painting based on recent major social events is extremely dramatic and can be called the foundation of the Romantic school. However, the reality is contrary to Serrico's ambitions, and people's attitude towards this work is not friendly.
Although I was prepared for the disgusting expressions of Louis XVIII and the navy's related people than eating flies, and the evaluation of the royal art critics who were "extremely boring", I did not expect that the general public was also confused and even disgusted by this painting.
Some are dying
The reason is actually very simple, the aesthetics of the whole society at that time still stayed in the quiet and elegant neoclassical style of Jacques Louis David, and people did not know how to look at and evaluate such an intense and rough picture in front of them.
Fear, shuddering, emotional outbursts are also another form of sublime beauty– it will take a little time to get the public to accept this fact.
However, once this logic is accepted, the next thing is very easy to do.
The best evidence of this is that The Raft of the Medusa attracted 50,000 visitors when it was held in the United Kingdom (an exhibition of paintings for admission fees to the general public), and a large number of imitation prints circulated on the market, and the world was impressed by the great charm of the painting.
Soon after, the painter returned with the masterpiece, and even though the members of the official Academy of Fine Arts were still unwilling to admit the painting, no one could stop Cirico from becoming a leading figure in a new generation of art.
Here, the public sees a completely different way of expression from the fine art works of the past, and the charm and power of the painting itself have far exceeded people's curiosity about the shipwreck event.
In the modern age, we must thank "The Raft of the Medusa" for the endless inspiration it brings to Hollywood's disaster and thriller movies. No, in fact, even after watching countless similar films, we will still be amazed at the powerful power of the painting itself that never fades.
People who have died are soaked in water
Maybe for a moment and a half, like people of the old days who had never seen a video image, the painting moved in our eyes.
The leading work of the shipwreck painting "The Raft of the Medusa" is naturally not Sun Dasheng, who suddenly jumped out of the stone, and there are several good paintings before it to lay the foundation and pave the way.
The next work to be introduced, I believe Siriko himself also observed, it is the American painter Copley's "Watson and the Shark".
John Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1778 oil painting, National Gallery of Art Collection
Compared with the former, "Watson and the Shark" was created nearly 40 years earlier. Although the scope of the work's influence was limited to the United Kingdom and the United States, it has to be said that it is a very popular painting.
If you compare the two paintings arranged together, the difference in the strength of the painter is clear at a glance.
The seawater in Siriko's painting stirs up realistic waves at the edge of the raft
It is also as small as the depiction of the seawater – Siriko's seawater stirs up very realistic waves at the edge of the raft, and the surging waves in the background also hint at the bottomlessness of the sea.
In contrast, copley's painting of the sea seems to be just a lake that is not very deep.
The sea in Copley's painting seems to be just a lake that is not very deep
In terms of group portraits, the latter seems to have only his face acting, compared to the former's efforts to express his emotions with all his strength.
The former's rescue ship was far away, as small as a grain of rice, making the survivors' hearts stir with hope and despair at the same time.
But the latter's fleet, which resembles the background board of a variety show, appears dull and warm, and has neither been given any special meaning nor any sense of tension.
The same goes for nudity.
In order to create an elegant and solemn atmosphere throughout the painting, Siriko strives to depict a strong and powerful human body, and does not copy the real situation into the painting.
You think, how can a person who has been drifting at sea for 13 days without eating or drinking be as muscular as Michelangelo's sculpture? It must have been a skinny and miserable look like a hungry ghost.
However, the art of painting is not a documentary.
Take the movie as an example, I believe everyone will understand.
For example, to make such a love movie: a very ordinary man and woman talk about a love that can be seen everywhere, but it is very real and moving for the parties, and finally they are together and have a happy ending.
At this time, the production company that expects the movie to be a big hit will never really find a pair of actors with ordinary temperaments and no different from the Li Si Wang Wu next door to your house as described in the script.
The more clichéd the story, the more popular the star is. The so-called stars are the winners who have survived the fierce competition in the industry, and they exude a strong winner aura, even if they wear simple and worn-out costumes according to the script and do something that does not look very decent, their charm and brilliance will not be obliterated.
It may sound mysterious, but it turns out to be very necessary.
To let the audience sit safely in front of the screen for two hours, it is not enough to rely on the sense of reality alone, and any work of art needs to be derived from reality and higher than reality.
The male nude in Cirico's paintings is exactly what this is.
So, what about Copley's work?
In the painting "Watson and the Shark", only the teenager who fell into the sea is naked, and the people on the ship are all dressed in their entirety, which is a strange scene that makes people suspicious for no reason.
Watson and the Shark part
In addition, regarding the posture of the teenager in the sea, I also have to say that as long as it is not in the Dead Sea, it is impossible for a person to float on the surface of the sea in this posture.
Sharks in Watson and the Sharks
The shark with the oversized jaw should have been a goblin shark that was not found in the waters off Havana (the real place where the event occurred), because it was a shark image drawn by a painter who was active in Britain through hearsay, so it lacked accuracy and authenticity.
Although the painting has many hard wounds, Copley's work is still very popular.
The man who commissioned the painter to create the painting was Brook Watson, and he was the teenager "Watson" who appeared in the title of the work and was attacked by a shark.
At the time, the 14-year-old Watson accidentally fell into the sea with a boat to fish in the waters of Havana, Cuba, and was eaten by sharks below the knee of his right leg, but fortunately he was rescued in time to save his life.
30 years later, he commissioned his painter friend Copley to paint the horrors of his youth.
After the painting was completed, it was hung in the hospital that Watson funded.
People of the same era learned the origin of Watson's right leg prosthesis through this painting, and thus felt great admiration for his legendary life of becoming a successful businessman and becoming mayor of London with more than often times as an effort.
Patients and wounded people who want to come to the hospital will definitely get more spiritual inspiration when they see this painting.
Compared to the historicity of Cirico's work, Copley's painting is a completely personal experience, but it is also very interesting - even if there is a slight lack of painting skills, as long as you know its backstory, you will definitely stop and watch.
"Watson and the Shark" is a typical example of such works.
Imagine if the same subject were painted by Cirique. ...... Well, my personal opinion is to choose Copley.
Théodore Géricault (1791-1824) died prematurely from a horse fall. The entire art world regrets that if he had lived longer, he would have left more outstanding works for the world. His friend Delacroix continued his legacy and carried forward the Romantic school.
John Copley (1738-1815) was born in the United States but has been active in the London painting scene. "Watson and the Shark" is his masterpiece.
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