Madness and Faith
Géricault Life
Our first discussion of “madness” and “faith” in the art and life of Théodore Géricault identifies some of the key topics and questions we will explore over the coming months
Our initial discussion of “madness” and “faith” in the life and art of Théodore Géricault introduces the main topics: mental illness in Géricault’s art; mental illness in Géricault’s life; and the treatment of mental illness in France during the 18th and 19th centuries. We discuss faith using identical parameters: faith in Géricault’s art; faith in his life; and the state of faith in France during the same period.
We will not discuss the church as an institution. Nor will we address theological questions. We will, however, consider both in discussions of related topics such as deism, freemasonry, romanticism, abolition, and the neo-celtic revival, for example. We also need to understand that questions about faith remained at the very center of social, political, and intellectual life throughout Gericault’s career and after, probably much more so than questions about mental health. Géricault’s mental health is usually of much more interest to modern scholars than questions of faith.
We have emphasized the connections between commerce and culture and will continue to do so. The church played an enormous economic and culture role in the production of art and architecture in western society, as religious organizations and orders do in other societies. The role and power of the church as a force shaping art changed and diminished during Géricault’s lifetime, but did not disappear.
We regard madness and faith as inter-connected topics at the very center of Géricault’s life and art. We begin our investigation of madness and faith in detail in our next issue.