The Woman with Gambling Mania is a painting by the French artist Théodore Géricault, created around 1822. It is part of a series of portraits of people with specific manias, painted by Géricault between 1820 and 1824. This particular painting features an elderly woman with an ill-fitting brown coat, a crutch resting on her lap, and a haggard appearance.
The canvas measures 77 cm in height and 64 cm in length. Géricault painted this work during a period of depression, following the controversy surrounding his previous work, The Raft of the Medusa. The Woman with Gambling Mania is one of ten paintings in the series, each portraying an individual suffering from a mental illness.
Overall, the painting serves as a poignant and striking portrayal of the consequences of gambling addiction, depicting an individual who has clearly suffered the physical, emotional, and financial effects of her compulsion. Through his use of color, composition, and intense focus on her facial expression, Géricault successfully captures the woman’s sense of despair and hopelessness. The painting is widely regarded as a significant example of Géricault’s ability to convey complex emotional states and explore difficult subject matter through his art.
