In 1819, a grandiose art exhibition was held in Paris; the walls of the beautiful halls were decorated with paintings on religious and historical subjects. Biblical patriarchs and rulers of the past, graceful and dramatic poses, robes and purple togas, glorious victories and battles - yes, there was something to see at the exhibition! Only one huge canvas stood out from the general row: gloomy brown tones, a nightmarish plot - in the middle of a gloomy ocean, a raft with emaciated people, living and dead. It was called "The Raft of the Medusa".
THE CROWN COMPLIMENT
However, King Louis XVIII himself noted the picture - he stood in front of it for a long time. And then he turned to the artist with words that the press regarded as a compliment: "Here, Monsieur Gericault, a disaster that could be a disaster for the artist who portrayed her!" The king praised the tragic picture - so it seemed to the organizers of the exhibition. Only the nervous and thin Theodore Gericault, the author of the canvas, understood the king's words correctly - it was a latent threat. Like, there is no need to touch upon such topics. It's dangerous, Monsieur Gericault.
On July 2, 1816, the French frigate "Medusa" ran aground. In fact, there was nothing catastrophic in this - the ship had two large boats and a lot of scrap materials, from which they began to build a raft. They wanted to move the cargo to the raft to lighten the ship: barrels with gold and silver coins. Expensive and heavy cargo was on the ship. In addition, there were dignitaries on the ship, even the governor himself, who was sailing to take up his gubernatorial duties in Senegal. The captain was an emigrant without much experience in managing ships, but loyal to the government and the king. The sweetest man. How can one not make such a captain? As a result, the ship went straight to the shallow, instead of going around it.
BUT YOU HOLD ON …
The crew built the raft, the captain gave orders, the passengers waited for the journey to continue. The officers hurried the sailors … And then the wind blew, the waves rose, and the ship cracked. It can sink! If the wind intensifies, catastrophe is inevitable - so the captain decided. There were two large boats on board. And the raft is almost ready! True, there are almost no provisions and controls on it, it is "without a rudder and sails", but there is no time to think too much - a storm is on the bow. And the captain made a decision: together with the governor and part of the crew, he got into the boat first. As befits a captain. The rest hastily moved from the ship to the raft - 147 people ended up on a raft measuring 7 by 20 meters. There were almost no provisions, no one took care of this, everyone only cared about having enough space. But there were a couple of barrels of wine, some biscuits and some other supplies,folded in the center - at the mast. At first, towing cables were attached to the boats - according to the noble captain's plan, the boats were supposed to drag the raft to the saving shore. The rowers leaned on the oars. The storm intensified. The raft turned out to be too heavy and very much slowed down the movement of boats … In addition, people on the raft could start moving onto the boats using the cables, and this threatened to disaster. And the captain ordered to cut the cables. At parting, he appointed some unfortunate officer in charge of the raft and ordered him to remain calm and to keep order. Like, I can’t help you, but you hold on!The raft turned out to be too heavy and very much slowed down the movement of boats … In addition, people on the raft could start moving onto the boats using the cables, and this threatened to disaster. And the captain ordered to cut the cables. At parting, he appointed some unfortunate officer in charge of the raft and ordered him to remain calm and to keep order. Like, I can’t help you, but you hold on!The raft turned out to be too heavy and very much slowed down the movement of boats … In addition, people on the raft could start moving onto the boats using the cables, and this threatened to disaster. And the captain ordered to cut the cables. At parting, he appointed some unfortunate officer in charge of the raft and ordered him to remain calm and to keep order. Like, I can’t help you, but you hold on!
Promotional video:
WHO IS THROWING FOOD OVERBOARD?
Soon the boats disappeared over the horizon. And on the raft, 147 people began to fight for a place at the mast - the waves were getting higher. The mast was the safest; besides, there were meager supplies of food and water. And wine, which played a terrible role - people mad with fear attacked the wine. Of course, those who are stronger and more aggressive. The officer, whom the captain had left as senior, was immediately killed so as not to interfere with his ridiculous orders: who listens to orders on a raft in the middle of the ocean? Every man for himself! There was a division into groups: officers and passengers against sailors and servants. Class division, so to speak. However, this division was short-lived - on the very first night of the drift, 20 people were killed as a result of the battle for a saving place under the mast. The rest were divided according to a different principle - strong and weak. The storm continuedprovisions were eaten by those who were stronger, who fought more fiercely and killed more agile … By the fourth day, 67 people remained on the raft - alive. And there are many corpses that have ceased to be thrown overboard - who is throwing food overboard? Cannibalism began, of which no one was ashamed …
For 13 days, the terrible raft continued to drift, on which, in the end, fifteen people remained - as in the old pirate song. On the morning of the fourteenth day, the ship "Argus" appeared on the horizon: the wrecked were taken aboard. A terrible story indeed. And an even more terrible question: who does a person turn into in hours of danger? A cruel man-eater. This is the answer. But if you think about it - the governor, and the captain, and the public that sailed away in the boats, they are also cannibals, although they did not have to eat human flesh.
PEOPLE ARE SAVING
Theodore Gericault was a sensitive and thinking man. History made a tremendous impression on him. He understood the meaning - he understood the guilt of the government, the king, the governor, the captain - everyone who left people to the mercy of the elements. That's what it means - "every man for himself." And Gericault painted his huge canvas with gloomy colors, which tells about the fate of a person in such circumstances in which he ceases to be a person. Gericault fell into a strange frenzy; he was absorbed in his picture, obsessed with it. He brought home from the anatomical theater parts of the corpses in order to depict as naturalistically as possible what happened on the raft. The neighbors thought he was crazy and complained about the unbearable smell …
The picture turned out to be terrible, it not only describes a real tragedy, it serves as a warning - this is what happens to a society in which there are no spiritual values, in which there is nothing human left. Even if salvation comes, only cannibals and murderers will be saved.
The artist died at the age of 32, like a dark raft with dying people took his energy and life. And they tried to forget the picture. In government and academic circles, it was believed that art should glorify lofty ideals and set people up in a patriotic mood …
VISITING THE ENEMY
Wrecks at sea, alas, are not uncommon. In the USSR, in 1960 - almost a century and a half after the Meduza story - a self-propelled barge T-36, a pitiful little boat, was swept into the ocean. On board were Junior Sergeant Ziganshin and three privates. And almost no food: a loaf of bread, a few spoons of cereal, potatoes drenched in diesel fuel … The drift lasted not 13, but 49 days! The soldiers ate boiled tarpaulin boots and belts. They drank rainwater. And were rescued by an American aircraft carrier; when the state of exhaustion was critical. The soldiers weighed 40 kilograms each, they were living skeletons. But when they were given food, they did not pounce on it. To the amazement of the Americans, the soldiers passed plates to each other, ate in moderation so as not to seem greedy … And they could control themselves, realizing that they needed to eat a little, otherwise they could die. And in general - when visiting the enemy, one must be extremely restrained. You remember this story because different societies have different moral values. And not always a person turns into an animal. It all depends on the upbringing, moral priorities and behavior of the captain with the governor … From the example they set.