← Eugène Delacroix

Figure Studies after Rubens's "The Fall of the Rebel Angels"

Original title: Figure Studies after Rubens's "The Fall of the Rebel Angels"

Artist

Eugène Delacroix

Date

ca. 1820–22

Medium

Graphite

Dimensions

sheet: 8 1/4 x 12 3/8 in. (20.9 x 31.4 cm)

Credit line

Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of Philippe de Montebello, 2013

kurzbeschreibung

Around 1820–22, Eugène Delacroix made six pencil sketches after Peter Paul Rubens's painting 'The Fall of the Rebel Angels'. On this upright sheet, the studies are arranged in two rows and reproduce figures caught in violent movement, struggle, or fall.

Description

Two horizontal bands contain six separate sketches spread across the paper. Each one captures one or more figures in twisted, tense poses that convey motion and force. Strong, rapid strokes model the muscles, while hatching and lines suggest spatial depth. The bodies seem to tumble or wrestle, with arms and legs stretched wide or sharply bent. The arrangement follows no fixed grid but feels free and lively.

Context

Delacroix was at the start of his career when he engaged closely with the masters of the past. Rubens's painting 'The Fall of the Rebel Angels', created around 1620, was regarded in the nineteenth century as a challenging model for anyone depicting movement and drama. The studies were probably made in the Louvre, where Delacroix copied Rubens's works to understand his pictorial structure. This sheet exemplifies the academic exercise of figure study, which was fundamental to his development as a painter of Romanticism.

Impact

The sheet radiates an immediate, almost sketch-like energy that draws the viewer into the figures' movements. Because only lines and hatching are used, the drawing feels raw and expressive, typical of Delacroix's studies. The distribution of the sketches creates a rhythmic flow that echoes the drama of the subject.

Technique

Graphite on paper forms the base; Delacroix varies stroke thickness and uses different hatches to bring out volume and movement. Some lines are dashed off, others drawn more firmly, suggesting a quick but controlled approach. He applies shading sparingly to set the figures off from the paper ground.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)