Théodore Géricault (1791-1824) was a pioneering French Romantic painter whose masterpiece "The Raft of the Medusa" became the defining work of the Romantic movement in French art. Born in Rouen, he revolutionized painting by emphasizing emotion, drama, and dynamic movement over the restrained classicism of his time. His short but brilliant career influenced Delacroix and shaped the course of 19th-century European art.