A Charge of Cuirassiers

Théodore Géricault's A Charge of Cuirassiers of 1823, one of his late English works, depicts French heavy cavalry in a battle charge — a subject that allowed him to return to the equestrian themes of his early Napoleonic paintings in a less documentary, more purely pictorial mode. The cuirassier's armored charge was one of the defining images of Napoleonic warfare, and Géricault's treatment in his final years shows technical mastery undiminished by the injuries that would kill him the following year. The painting demonstrates the continuing vitality of military subject matter in his work even as he expanded toward social and psychological subjects.

Géricault renders the charging cavalry with explosive energy, using rich earth tones and dynamic diagonal composition. The muscular power of the horses and the intensity of the riders' expressions demonstrate his unrivaled mastery of equestrian painting.