Theodore Gericault completed The Raft of the Medusa, which eventually became the icon of Romanticism, when he was only 27-years-old.  The painting itself portrays the tragic incident that happened in 1816. The story of the Raft of the Medusa is based on a French Royal Navy Frigate that sailed in 1816 to colonize Senegal. Due to the shortage of lifeboats, those who were left behind built a raft for 150 people who went to physical and mental extremes in order to survive. They were physically tired and hungry and to survive they had no choice but to slaughter the weak to feed those who are desperate to live.

Putting in intense amount of research and dedication, the painter drew his inspiration from who survivors of the Medusa. He carefully dissected the subject piece by piece, documenting and questioning the survivors their trauma of exact details of the ship and the environment that they had to go through. Also, he referenced the rotting bodies of the corpses from hospitals, carefully examining the wounds.

Before starting on the painting, he created multiple sketches and created wax models to lay out many possible compositions. The final composition of the painting is played out in two pyramids overlaying each other in the center.  The style of the painting was inspired by the style that Caravaggio's practiced known as chiaroscuro. The style uses strong tonal contrasts between light and dark to show three-dimensional forms and display dramatic effects.