Making a macabre situation look good

The point about Gericault's picture,of course, is that the whole composition is artificial. His figures are all classically perfect, and the figure composition is a contrived pyramid, with its apex at the head of negro signalling to the ship on the horizon. If you still require visual proof of the disparity between art and life, compare those figures in his painting with my, admittedly less than perfect, proportions.