Cheval de charrette sorti des limons is a powerful lithograph created by Théodore Géricault in 1822. This print exemplifies the French artist’s late career exploration of everyday struggles and the expressive potential of draftsmanship, utilizing the relatively new medium of lithography to achieve broad distribution.
As a master of the lithographic process, Géricault utilized the technique to achieve deep tonal contrasts and a powerful sense of atmospheric pressure, lending the scene an emotional weight typical of the Romantic era. The image depicts a massive draft horse straining, having just been extracted from thick mud or limons. The physical exertion and muscular tension are central to the composition, highlighting Géricault’s profound interest in equine anatomy and the inherent dignity of labor in 19th-century France.
This work, characterized by its dramatic use of light and shadow, fits squarely within the ethos of French Romanticism, focusing on emotional intensity and the drama found in unidealized scenes of life and work. Géricault produced many of these detailed prints, allowing his politically and socially aware art to reach a wider public than traditional painting could achieve. This specific impression of Cheval de charrette sorti des limons is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, representing a foundational piece of early 19th-century graphic arts.
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