The Raft of the Medusa might not be the Louvre's most famous painting, but it might be the most graphic. Painted by Théodore Géricault in 1818, this larger than life canvas stops visitors in its ...

In 1816, the French naval frigate Medusa ran aground off the coast of West Africa. Without room on rescue boats for all 400 passengers, more than 140 were forced onto a hastily constructed life raft.

Inspired by a real shipwreck scandal, Géricault’s brutal masterpiece became a political bombshell that horrified high society and redefined modern painting. Luxury steamer sank in Lake Michigan 153 ...