Eugéne Delacroix, French Romantic painter, was known for his bold colors and swingin brush strokes. His famous paintings include Liberty Guiding the People, Dante and Virgil in Hell, and The Massacre at Chios.
He was born on April 26, 1798, in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, a suburb of Paris, France. His father, Charles Delacroix, was a diplomat, a former Foreign minister and prefect of Marseilles. Although inscribed in the register of Charenton district that he was the fourth child of Victoire Oeben and Charles Delacroix, he may have been the natural son of Talleyrand. Aged 16, he was crushed when his mother died.
As a boy, Delacroix developed a love of art. He entered the studio of Pierre Guerin and became his pupil along with Theodore Gericault, whose famous Raft of the Medusa gave him his early inspiration. He studied intensely old masters like Rubens, Michelangelo and Goya.
Delacroix the Student, Sketcher and Painter
- In England. He was inspired by the bright colors of the landscape painters John Constable and J.M.W. Turner.
- In North Africa. The colors and violent contrasts of North Africa inflamed his work. He became one of the greatest animal painters being able to make his painted animals seem alive. He loved the natural beauty in the movements of animals and spent time at the zoo sketching tigers, lions, horses, and any other animals that caught his imagination. With colors, the scene shows an exciting view of African life in his time. One of the best paintings he liked best was a violent lion and a rearing horse in the swirling dust. One after another, he filled his sketchbook with action-packed drawings which he used as subjects for his paintings.
- In Morocco, Algiers, and Spain. His experiences in these places provided him with oriental flavor and exotic subjects such as the Algerian women who enchanted him. He sketched them at their daily activities noting the minutest details of color and design. The rich interweaving of colors in such scenes as Women of Algiers would inspire future Impressionist painters
Historic, Religious, and Literary Themes
His works were expressive and depicted historic, religious and litarary themes. He exhibited Dante and Virgil in Hell and The Massacre at Chios at the Salon. He also turned to literary themes, notably from the writings of Shakespeare, Byron, and others like Torquato Tasso. He was aroused by Dante's famous Divine Comedy. John Constable's Haywain, which was hung in the same exhibition, profoundly impressed him to even move further away from traditional treatment with his brilliant canvases of historical and dramatic scenes. Among them the Execution of Marino Faliero and the famous Liberty Guiding the People.
- He worked on a series of panels for the library of the Chamber of Deputies, choosing as his subject the history of ancient civilization. Despite this official recognition and the fact that the government had bought his Massacre at Chios, he was regarded as a rebel in the art world and was not elected to the Institut de France until 1857.
- A man of immense energy, he also interested himself in politics and literature. He was a friend of George Sand whom he painted. He also painted the composers Chopin and Paganini. Most of his portraits reflect strong personal feelings, primarily because they were people he knew and liked. His daily accounting in Journal which he kept from the age of 23 until his death records fascinating details of his life and work.
Perhaps the greatest figure in 19th century French art, Delacroix was one of the most accomplished colorists of all time. His pictures were filled with action, with bold swinging brush strokes loaded with vigorous colors. In spite recurring illness, Delacroix continued painting. He died at 65.
Source:
Larousse Dictionary of Painters, Hamlyn Publishing, Paris (1989)
