Consider Eakins' The Biglin Brothers Racing and Géricault's The Raft of the Medusa. Describe each artist's use of line (both actual and implied) to emphasize the content of each work

What will be an ideal response?

Horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines in a two-dimensional artwork contribute to the direction and movement in the composition. Horizontal and vertical lines convey a sense of calm and stability, whereas diagonal lines suggest action and tension. Thomas Eakins' The Biglin Brothers Racing is stabilized by the long, calm horizontal of the distant shore. In The Raft of the Medusa, virtually all the lines in the composition are diagonal. Géricault uses them to create two conflicting centers of interest, thus increasing the tension of the scene.