Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database

• Art

  • Annotations
  • Artists
  • Meet the Artist
  • Viewing Room *
  • Annotated Art Books
  • Art in Literature

• Literature

  • Annotations
  • Authors
  • Meet the Authors *
  • Listening Room *
  • Reading Room *

• Performing Arts

  • Film/Video/TV Annotations
  • Screening Room *
  • Theater *

• Editors' Choices

  • Choices
  • Editor's Biosketch
  • Indexes
  • Book Order Form

• Search

  • Annotation Search
  • People Search
  • Keyword (Topic)
  • Annotator
  • Free Text Search

Art Annotations

Géricault, Théodore The Madman

	On-Line Art
Medium	Art
Art Form	Oil on canvas
Keywords	History of Medicine, Mental Illness, Patient Experience, Psychiatry
Summary	This three-quarter portrait of a man is painted in brown tones which, by accentuating the contrast with his skin and the white cravat surrounding his neck, allows the viewer to concentrate on the man's troubled features. His hair is ill kempt, and his averted eyes seem concentrated on some inner grief or turmoil.
Commentary	Géricault's romanticism led him to explore a broad spectrum of human experiences. His portraits of the insane exist on a continuum with his studies of heroes and aristocrats. This portrait, and those of other asylum inmates were painted for a physician friend, Dr. Georget, and are meant as studies of types of mental illness. This work is both compassionate and humane, suggesting a sympathy that evades medicalization.
Location of Original	Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Ghent
Alternate Source	H. W. Janson, History of Art: New York: Harry N. Abrams (1991).
Annotated by	Winkler, Mary G.
Date of Entry	02/27/98
Last Revised	01/25/99