Man Clutching a Horse in Water, after Poussin's "Deluge" (recto)

Man Clutching a Horse in Water, after Poussin's "Deluge" (recto) by Théodore Géricault is a powerful drawing executed in pen and brown ink, brush, and brown wash over graphite. This study, dating from a crucial decade in the artist's formative career (1811-1821), evidences the French Romantic master’s intense study of Classicism, specifically referencing Nicolas Poussin’s 17th-century masterpiece, The Deluge.

The work captures the extreme peril of the biblical flood, focusing dramatically on a figure desperately struggling to maintain his grip on a panicked horse amidst rising, turbulent waters. Géricault uses the dark, rich brown washes to great effect, building deep shadows that enhance the overwhelming sense of chaos and impending tragedy. The swift, dynamic lines convey the physical struggle, contrasting the measured composition typically found in Poussin's work with a raw depiction of human and animal terror. This emphasis on intense emotion and physical suffering sets the stage for the dramatic, often macabre subjects Géricault would embrace fully in the following decade, culminating in works like The Raft of the Medusa.

This drawing is critical for understanding the development of the great French painter, revealing his transition from academic study to a mature, highly personalized Romantic style. Although perhaps less known than some of Géricault’s larger canvases, reproductions and prints of preparatory drawings such as this one often enter the public domain, offering broader access to his process. This significant piece is housed in the distinguished drawings collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.