\paperw19995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 French painter.\par
Coming from an upper middle-class family, he entered the studio of the neoclassical painter GuΘrin afte
r completing his classical studies and, in 1817, enrolled in the ╔cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. During his apprenticeship with GuΘrin, he made a keen study of the work of Antoine-Jean Gros and ThΘodore GΘricault, a painter with whom he became friends. Eq
ually important to his formation were the study of Michelangelo and Peter Paul Rubens and his interest in the techniques of watercolor and engraving, which he started to practice in those years. In 1822 Delacroix participated in the Paris Salon for the f
irst time, showing \i The Barque of Dante\i0 (Paris, Louvre), a work inspired by GΘricaultÆs \i Raft of the Medusa\i0 . The work caused a stir due to the unusual subject and the intense drama of the composition. Two years later he painted the \i Massacr
e of Chios\i0 (1824, Paris, Louvre), the first great Romantic painting to tackle an episode from contemporary history relating to the Greek war of liberation from the Turks. In 1824 he went to London, where he studied British painting with interest and
attended various performances of ShakespeareÆs plays, which provided the inspiration for numerous paintings and drawings. Back in France in 1825, he painted a series of \i Odalisques\i0 û works whose great sensuality is accentuated by a refined use of c
olor. The painting that best sums up the characteristics of this early period of his career is \i The Death of Sardanapalus\i0 from 1827 (Paris, Louvre). Here, the end of the king, who decides to die with all of his concubines, horses, and favorite dogs
, provides the pretext for a passionate and fiery painting. In 1831 Delacroix presented \i Liberty Leading the People\i0 (Paris, Louvre) at the Salon, a large painting inspired by the three days of revolutionary struggle in 1830. Fascinated by the exoti
c world, he made a journey in 1832 to the Mediterranean coast of Africa that proved crucial to the subsequent development of his painting. Along with the light and color of the African landscape, the artist studied the local peoples, customs, and habits.
The influence of the Orient on him is testified by numerous sketches in his travel journals and the pictures he painted on his return to Paris: \i Women of Algiers\i0 (1834, Paris, Louvre); \i Jewish Wedding in Morocco\i0 (1839, Paris, Louvre); \i Enc
ounter of Maori Horsemen\i0 (1833, Baltimore, Walters Gallery). When he returned to France, Delacroix began a period of intense activity, receiving prestigious commissions for decorative cycles. Among others, these included the \i Allegories\i0 in the
chamber of the king in the Palais Bourbon (1833-38; 1838-47), the decorations in the library of the Palais de Luxembourg (1840-46), the central ceiling of the Salon dÆApollon in the Louvre (\i circa\i0 1850-51), and the frescoes of the chapel of the Ang
els in the church of Saint-Sulpice (1849-61). A series of paintings of historical and mythological subjects date from around 1840 and included \i Medea Enraged\i0 (1838, Lille, Museum), \i Justice of Trajan\i0 (1840, Rouen, Museum), and \i Entry of the
Crusaders into Constantinople\i0 (1841, Paris, Louvre). Another series of works inspired by the natural world were painted after 1842 (\i The Sea Viewed from the Heights of Dieppe\i0 , 1852, Paris, Louvre). Finally a group of animals, most of them wild
, dates from 1848-61.\par
The course of DelacroixÆs creative development is also documented in his \i Journal\i0 , kept by the artist between 1822 and the end of 1824 and from 1847 until his death.\par
The freedom of expression, the use of brilliant co
lors, and the predilection for literary and exotic themes make his work a true manifesto of Romantic painting. In addition, his investigation of color and technique of painting foreshadow the results of Impressionist painting.
