This haunting image of a dead man swathed in white sheets was thought to have been painted by Théodore Géricault until a cleaning revealed the signature of his friend and follower Charles Emile Champmartin. More recent research has shown that the painting depicts Géricault himself on his deathbed, having succumbed to chronic tubercular infection at the young age of 32. Géricault’s early death and bold artistry, which sought to challenge classical notions of beauty, made him emblematic of the trope of the tragic Romantic artist. Images depicting his passing circulated throughout the 19th century, and talismanic copies of his death mask populated young artists’ studios.
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