Portrait of Siméon Bonnesoeur-Bourginière c. 1812 - 1815

Théodore Géricault painted this portrait of Siméon Bonnesoeur-Bourginière with oil on canvas sometime in the early 19th century. Look closely, and you’ll see a variety of brushstrokes. Géricault modeled the sitter’s face with delicate, almost imperceptible gradations. He evoked the sheen of skin and the light reflecting in the eye. By contrast, the jacket is rendered with much broader, more gestural marks. The materiality of the paint is important here. Oil allowed Géricault to achieve a verisimilitude in the face, a certain truth to appearance, while also allowing for the expressive handling seen in the rest of the composition. Portraiture was a competitive field at this time, with artists vying to represent the ascendant bourgeois class. This painting is a fascinating example of that dynamic. Géricault straddles the line between traditional portraiture and a more modern, expressive style. The result is a painting that captures not just a likeness but a feeling, an attitude, and a moment in time.