The Giaour Gm-00019201

Théodore Géricault (French, 1791–1824) His brow was bent, his eye was glazed;
He raised his arm, and fiercely raised,
And sternly shook his hand on high
As doubting to return or fly….

Taken from English Romantic poet Lord Byron's work of 1813, The Giaour: A Turkish Tale, these verses inspired the French Romantic painter Théodore Géricault to make this well-known watercolor. The dramatic story of an Arab Christian living as an infidel within his Muslim homeland tapped the vogue for Orientalism, which stemmed in part from Napoleon's recent campaigns in Egypt and Syria. Géricault's choice of subject matter was also affected by his passion for horses, which he often represented with great sensitivity.

On a visit to England in 1820, Géricault learned the British style of watercolor painting, which emphasized translucent washes that allowed the white of the paper to shine through. After faintly sketching the giaouron the verso of this sheet, he used the translucency of the watercolor to render the Arabian stallion's shining coat and the dramatically lit sky and ground in this finished drawing. The lithograph made after the drawing less effectively expresses the Romantic sense of drama.

Our Cards are all printed on 100% cotton tree-free archival paper. All Cards include a recycled kraft envelope in a protective sleeve individually hand wrapped for you. Each card is printed one at a time and hand bound here in Lugano, Switzerland. We ship all over the world via SwissPost. Please allow 5-9 business days for us to make them and 5-7 business days for transit. Art Prints are printed on heavy matte finish German art paper using the finest Canon archival inks. Frame is black natural with a white mattboard and Acrylite glazing.

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Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.