The Raft of the Medusa is a painting by Théodore Géricault, painted in 1818. This eerie scene depicts a real scene from a French naval wreck in 1816. The true story behind it is a frightening tale of what humans will do when they feel that all hope is lost…
On July 5th, 1816, around 147 people set out to sea on a tiny raft of the french ship The Medusa. All but 15 ended up dying.
In the 13 days before their rescue, the few who survived did so through unimaginable measures.
They became cannibalistic. The story rocked France as people were horrified at the measures these survivors took to stay alive. The survivors themselves at to deal with what they had done for the rest of their lives…
People were also shocked that it didn’t take very long for them to turn cannibalistic. A small group of people took that measure just a few days after the wreck.
Géricault decided to capitalize on the event as he, too, was intrigued by the gross idea of cannibalism. His painting brought to life something that no one thought was even possible… It was grizzly and raw.
This story forever lives on in this infamous painting.