Jean Louis Theodore Andre Gericault, a French painter, born in Rouen in 1790, died in Paris, Jan. 18, 1824. He was a pupil of Carle Vernet and of Guerin, and his first pictures, the"Guide of the Imperial Guard in 1812" and the Wounded Cuirassier," were well received. In 1816 he went to Italy, and in 1819, on his return to France, he exhibited the "Raft of the Medusa," a very dramatic scene, executed in the most powerful style, which is considered one of the masterpieces of the French school.