At the CaixaForum Madrid, located in the heart of Spain’s capital, an impressive retrospective exhibit of Eugène Delacroix is currently on display. Considered one of the greatest French Romantic painters, Baudelaire once said of Delacroix: “Delacroix was passionately in love with passion, but coldly determined to express passion as clearly as possible.”
And it is precisely with that dual representation of passion that those dozen works of Delacroix are able to create such a forceful feeling of marvel in the exhibit room at the CaixaForum Madrid. Under the simple title, Delacroix (1798 – 1863), the Fundación “la Caixa” and the Musée du Louvre jointly organized the exhibit, which happens to be the most complete presentation of works by Delacroix since the 1963 exhibit at the Louvre celebrating his centenary.
The works on display have strong ties to the visual cultural history of the Spanish people, despite their origin at the hands of a French artist. Indeed, I was impressed by the sight of local madrileños constantly commenting to each other on the importance of paintings such as La Grèce sur les ruines de Missolonghi (1826) (borrowed from the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux) or La Mort de Sardanapale (1827) (originally at the Louvre). Perhaps as impressive as standing in front of other prominent works such as Le Naufrage de Don Juan (1841) and admiring its colors in full scale.
Delacroix was one of the first French artists to have access to Los Caprichos of Francisco Goya. But the connection of Delacroix with Spain goes even further. In 1832, after having extensively explored subject matters in prominent urban settings like Paris, Delacroix accepted the invitation of Comte Charles de Mornay, Ambassador to the Sultan of Morocco, Abd er-Rahman, to accompany the Count on a diplomatic mission: starting with a stay in Tangier, then Meknès, followed by Cadiz, Seville, Oran, and Algiers.
The vibrant colors and sights he encountered during those six months of travels eventually resulted in a production of over 100 painting and drawings of scenes inspired by life abroad. Furthermore, this experience renewed Delacroix’s artistic interest in subjects of the Classical Era: believing that the way of life in North Africa was comparable to that of the Ancient Greeks and Romans.
On display at the exhibit were two versions of the imposing Médée sur le point de tuer ses enfants (1836), along with the famous Femmes D’Alger Dans Leur Appartement (1834): both examples of the many works that continue to marvel Delacroix followers and critics alike.
Literature also became a powerful source of inspiration for Delacroix. For example, his self-portrait as Edgar Ravenswood, protagonist of Sir Walter Scott’s La Fiancée de Lammermoor (1826), was also another impressive work on display. In addition, a set of lithographs inspired by Goethe’s immortal epic Faust framed two parallel walls at the exhibit room. Goethe himself once admitted to Delacroix that he was fascinated by the Delacroix’s ability to depict in such a unique and powerful way, weaving together the characters of Mephistopheles and Faust through visual cues. Having seen the exhibit in question, I can attest that Goethe did not exaggerate in his remarks one bit.
In 1847, Delacroix finally went back to writing in his journal, which he had interrupted in 1824. The complete Journal de Eugène Delacroix was published in 2009 and has since remained the most contemporary window into the many personal reflections of a man of such talent, mysticism, and dynamism as Delacroix.
In his writings, Delacroix speaks of an “accord magique” that allows a painting to take over whomever watches it. Following my visit to this wonderful exhibition, I now understand perfectly what he meant.
* The exhibit will be on display until January 15, 2012. *
