Delacroix

📘 About This Book

At Delacroix' studio sale, held six months after his death in 1864, crowds and critics were astonished at both the abundance and the multi-disciplinary nature of the work on display, the life's vision of a man praised by Baudelaire for being the last great artist of the Renaissance period and the first of the Modern. But Delacroix himself was well aware of the position he wanted to occupy. Taking his cue from Rubens in both lifestyle and visual inventiveness, he took the order of classical composition and allied it to a universally appreciated symbolic and allegorical intent, producing from that marriage works of unmatched integrity and sensuality. From the spectacular Salon reception in 1824 to a work such as the major Scenes from the Chios Massacre (when the term Romantique was first applied to his style) through to the liberating and controversial carnality of The Agony in the Garden, Delacroix' genius in graphic design, in the liberation and reinvention of colour, and in the portrayal of bodies was never in doubt. His numerous sketchbooks attest to a personality committed to the most truthful results, in both his Goyaesque fantasias of horror, cruelty and sacrifice and in his huge historical canvases. Excessive, monumental, Byronic even, this Victor Hugo of the art world has proved profoundly influential, his technique studied by movements as diverse as Impressionism, Expressionism and the Abstract painters of mid-century. Leaving the self-indulgence of the Romantics far behind, the nobility of Delacroix' spirit will continue to speak to any and every age.

📖 Summary

Gilles Neret presents a compelling exploration of the life and artistic evolution of Eugène Delacroix, tracing the trajectory of a visionary whose work bridged historical eras. Published in the year 2000, this compact yet rich volume spans 106 pages, diving deep into the massive studio sale held six months after the artist's passing in 1864. At that historic sale, both crowds and critics were thoroughly astonished by the immense abundance and the multi-disciplinary nature of the works on display, which collectively revealed the grand life vision of a master. Baudelaire famously praised him for occupying a unique historical duality, serving as both the last great artist of the Renaissance period and the very first of the Modern era. Delacroix was acutely conscious of the monumental position he wished to occupy in art history, deliberately shaping his legacy through meticulous planning and fierce ambition. Taking his core aesthetic cues from Rubens in terms of both luxurious lifestyle and boundless visual inventiveness, Delacroix successfully merged the strict order of classical composition with a universally appreciated symbolic and allegorical intent. The result of this remarkable artistic marriage was a collection of works characterized by unmatched integrity, emotional depth, and raw sensuality. The book meticulously guides readers from the artist's spectacular Salon reception in 1824 through to monumental achievements such as the major Scenes from the Chios Massacre, a watershed moment when the term Romantique was first applied to this groundbreaking aesthetic movement. Through insightful commentary and a rich presentation of his creative output, the book illuminates how Delacroix forever changed the landscape of visual culture by balancing classical tradition with the surging emotional currents of Romanticism, offering contemporary art lovers a profound window into the mind of a titan who shaped the modern artistic consciousness.

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