Delacroix, Eugène |
| PAINTER, LITHOGRAPHER, ETCHER (FRANCE) |
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BORN 26 Apr 1798, Charenton-St. Maurice, Val-de-Marne - DIED 13 Aug 1863, Paris BIRTH NAME Delacroix, Ferdinand-Victor-Eugène CAUSE OF DEATH tubercular laryngitis GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Père Lachaise, Rue du Repos 16 (division 49, ligne 01, Q, 10) |
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Painter of the Romantic era. Eugène Delacroix was possibly the natural son of Talleyrand, a friend of the family. His official father was Charles-François Delacroix. His mother died when he was sixteen years old and he was often supported by Talleyrand. He was educated at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand an then studied with P.N. Guérin. His early paintings also show the influence of Rubens and Géricault. His painting "The Barque of Dante" (The Louvre, Paris) was a sensation at the Salon of 1822 and was bought by the State. In 1824 his "Massacre at Chios" (The Louvre, Paris) was equally successful. In 1825 he painted another scene from the war between the Greeks and the Turks, the capture of Missolonghi. He was an admirer of Lord Byron, who had died in Missolonghi in 1824. In 1825 he visited Thomas Lawrence and Richard Parkes Bonington in England. "The Death of Sardanapalus" (1828), inspired by a play of Byron, was another success. In 1830 he produced his most famous painting, "Liberty Leads the People" (The Louvre, Paris). It was bought by the government. It was hidden from view because it was too explicit and only in 1848 Louis Napoleon Bonaparte put it back on display. In 1832 he visited Spain and North Africa, where he wanted to study primitive culture. This resulted in many paintings depicting the life of the people there. In 1838 his "Medea about to Kill Her Children" was another success that was bought by the State, but he wasn't amused when it was given to the Museé des Beaux-Arts in Lille. In the 1840s and the 1850s he decorated several churches. From 1834 until his death in 1863 he was cared for by Jeanne-Marie le Guillou, his housekeeper. Shortly after he died an exibition of 248 of his paintings was held. Related persons • has a connection with Baudelaire, Charles • was admired by Bazille, Frédéric • was a friend of Bonington, Richard Parkes • admired Byron, George Noel Gordon • influenced Chassériau, Théodore • was teacher of Chenavard, Paul • was a friend of Cogniet, Léon • was a friend of Géricault, Théodore • was the lover of Lavalette, Joséphine • painted Paganini, Niccolò • was teacher of Puvis de Chavannes, Pierre • was a friend of Viardot-Garcia, Pauline Events |
| 16/4/1849 | Premiere of Meyerbeer's "Le prophète" with Pauline Viardot as Fidès. It was performed by the Opera of Paris at the Salle Le Peletier. Jeanne-Anaïs Castellan was Berthe and Gustave-Hippolyte Roger was Jean. Narcisse Girard was the conductor. In the audience were Chopin, Verdi, Théophile Gautier, Delacroix, Ivan Turgenev and Berlioz. It was a great succes and in July it was performed at Covent Garden in London. [Berlioz, Hector][Chopin, Frédéric][Gautier, Théophile][Girard, Narcisse][Meyerbeer, Giacomo][Verdi, Giuseppe][Viardot-Garcia, Pauline] |
| 24/5/1871 | The posessions of Auguste Préault go down in flames. During the Commune of Paris a powder storage near his house and studio was blown up. His house burnt down and he lost his own works, his furniture, his medals, his drawings by Jordaens and his paintings by Delacroix, Decamps, Rousseau and Yvon. [Decamps, Alexandre Gabriel] |
| Images | ||
 The grave of Eugène Delacroix at Père Lachaise, Paris. Picture by Androom (24 Oct 2014) |
 "Bacchus". (Paris: Musée Delacroix) |
 "Charles Quint au Monastère de Yuste". (Paris: Musée Delacroix) |
 "Mme François Simon". (1829, Karlsruhe: Staatliche Kunsthalle) |
 "Indienne morduee par un tigre". (1856, Stuttgart: Staatsgalerie) |
Sources • Holst, Christian v. (ed.), Staatsgalerie Stuttgart 19. Jahrhundert, Malerei und Plastik des 19. Jahrhunderts, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart, 1982 • Blühm, Andreas (ed.), Auguste Préault, Romantiek in brons, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, 1997 • Winkler Prins Encyclopedie (editie 1909), 1909 • Eugène Delacroix - Wikipedia (EN) • Eugène Delacroix - Wikipédia (FR) • Le prophète - Wikipedia (EN) |
