Delacroix has always been a great painter to me. This French romantic artist was fond of bright colours and energetic brushstrokes. His opposition to Ingres is well-known and justified as Ingres put more emphasis on the drawing and adopted a neoclassical style, whereas Delacroix stressed on colours and movement in his paintings. Delacroix marked a break with the past techniques and styles.
For Delacroix’s lovers or those curious to discover his artwork, go to the National Gallery before the 22nd of May!

Orientalism

Delacroix “women of Algier in their apartment”

Delacroix travelled to North Africa in 1832 and was profoundly touched by what he saw in terms of colours and culture there. In consequence, he produced over 100 paintings and drawings of scenes from or based on the life of the people of North Africa. The exhibition displays some of them.

Delacroix “Convulsionists of Tangier”

Delacroix “Lion’s hunt”

Legacy: “We all paint in Delacroix’s language”

Cezanne said that. It is true you can see how the Impressionists may have been inspired by Delacroix. The Master clearly laid more emphasis on colour and movement than on clarity of outline. The optical effects of colours thus shaped the work of the Impressionists.
And Cezanne is also presented in this exhibition, where each room is dedicated to a picturesque theme. In the “landscape” room, you can discover this painting from Cezanne called “river landscape”. This work of art is truly unforgettable as soon as you’ve stared at it: the mirror effect of the river is truly stunning. You can’t help but think it is perfect.

In my opinion, Cezanne even surpassed his Master. You can see it from Delacroix’s “Banks of the river” below…

“A triumph of sentiment over form”

Odilon Redon, who wrote that, was not mistaken. This is true that Delacroix’s style was ahead of the contemporary artists. In the “Gardens” room, I was hypnotised by this paintings, looking at the details of the flowers, the expression of the woman…

And -I shall say- I was even more attracted by the other paintings presented in the room, from the Impressionists. Look at these paintings from Renoir and then Van Gogh…

I did not know these paintings before going to this exhibition and I was so pleased to discover them, as they express the power of nature either with delicacy and charm or with brightness and strength.

This exhibition is a must-see. Hurry up as it will close up soon! And feel free to leave us your comments if you already went to the National Gallery!