The Charging Chasseur

The Charging Chasseur

Théodore Géricault

Théodore Géricault was very young when he produced this painting, which might look conventional at first sight but is actually subtly original. Many artists of his day depicted horses in movement – a difficult exercise that allowed them to demonstrate their technical skills – and since the Middle Ages there had been plenty of battle scenes and portraits of people on horseback... But this composition seems entirely structured around the horse’s movement, while the officer’s absent-minded, distant gaze is far from heroic. Although the smoke-filled sky and low, threatening horizon line suggest a war scene, Géricault’s work is a far cry from contemporary paintings of famous battles designed to glorify the Empire. By taking an innovative personal approach, the young artist revolutionised both history painting and portraits on horseback.