Delacroix painted Liberty leading the people over a barricade of corpses and gave Romanticism its defining image. Liberty Leading the People (1830) shows a bare-breasted woman holding the tricolour, striding over the dead, accompanied by a boy with pistols. It commemorates the July Revolution. Delacroix included himself in the painting, wearing a top hat and carrying a rifle. Whether he actually fought on the barricades is unlikely but characteristic.
Key facts
- Lived
- 1798–1863, French
- Movement
- Works held in
- 128 museums[1]
Biography
He was born in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, near Paris. His legal father was a diplomat. His biological father may have been Talleyrand, the foreign minister, which would explain several things about his career including his early access to government commissions. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Pierre-Narcisse Guerin and was influenced by Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa, which showed him that contemporary events could be painted at the scale previously reserved for mythology.
His brushwork was loose and fast by the standards of the Academy. He preferred colour to line, which put him in direct opposition to Ingres, the master of precise contour. The rivalry between Delacroix and Ingres, colour versus drawing, became the central argument of French painting in the mid-nineteenth century. Delacroix won in the long run: the Impressionists claimed him, the Fauves revered him, and Cezanne called him the starting point of modern painting.
He travelled to Morocco in 1832 and came back with notebooks full of colour studies that influenced the rest of his career. The North African light loosened his palette permanently. He died in 1863, at sixty-five, and left a journal that is one of the most intelligent accounts of painting ever written.
Timeline
- 1798Born on 26 April at Charenton-Saint-Maurice near Paris. His mother, Victoire Oeben, was the daughter of a distinguished cabinetmaker; his father Charles held a ministerial post under the Directory.
- 1815At 17, orphaned after losing both parents, he entered the studio of Pierre-Narcisse Guerin in Paris to train as a painter. He had already won drawing prizes at the Lycee Imperial and developed a passion for Rubens and the Venetian colourists.
- 1822At 24, exhibited The Barque of Dante at the Paris Salon, his first major public work. The French state purchased the painting for 2,000 francs, launching his career as a Romantic provocateur against the Neoclassical establishment.
- 1824At 26, showed The Massacre at Chios at the Salon, depicting the Greek War of Independence with raw emotional force. The painting divided critics but confirmed his position as the leading voice of French Romanticism.
- 1831At 33, exhibited Liberty Leading the People at the Salon, inspired by the July Revolution of 1830 in Paris. The monumental canvas fused classical allegory with street-level realism and became one of the most recognised images in French art.
- 1832At 34, travelled to Morocco, Algeria and Spain on a diplomatic mission with the Comte de Mornay. The six-month journey transformed his palette and subject matter; he filled sketchbooks that he drew upon for the rest of his life.
- 1855At 57, triumphed at the Universal Exhibition in Paris with a retrospective of 35 paintings. He received the Grand Medal of Honour and was promoted to Commander of the Legion of Honour.
- 1863Died on 13 August at his apartment-studio on the rue de Furstemberg in Paris, aged 65, after years of declining health from tuberculosis. He left behind over 850 oil paintings and more than 2,000 drawings and watercolours.
Notable Works
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Where to See Eugène Delacroix
7 museums worldwide.
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5 works
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France
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1 works
Library-museum of the Comédie-Française
Paris, France
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1 works
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Louvre Palace, France
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1 works
National Gallery of Armenia
Yerevan, Armenia
Related Artists
Frequently Asked Questions
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Eugène Delacroix was part of the Romanticism art movement.Eugène delacroix art style?
Eugène Delacroix was influenced by Peter Paul Rubens' colour and loose brushwork. He was also influenced by the work of John Constable and Richard Parkes Bonington.Eugene delacroix facts?
Eugène Delacroix became leader of the Romantic movement after Gericault's death. He was considered a moody, solitary man, who always ran a slight fever.Eugene delacroix famous works?
Some of Eugène Delacroix's famous works include The Barque of Dante, The Massacre at Chios, and Liberty Leading the People. Other well-known paintings are The Women of Algiers and Sultan of Morocco.Eugene delacroix painting style?
Eugène Delacroix began keeping a journal in 1822, which is one of the great literary self-portraits of an artist. The journal records Delacroix’s life, including his tastes in art, working methods, use of pigments and brushes, excerpts from what he read, and notes on his travel.How did eugene delacroix die?
Eugène Delacroix died in 1863 at the age of 65.How did eugène delacroix die?
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Eugène Delacroix was the leader of the Romantic movement after Gericault's death.Was eugene delacroix a realist?
Romantic painters often depicted exotic faraway places they had never seen, but Eugène Delacroix journeyed to Morocco in 1832. He discovered new insights into a culture built on proud virtues in the sun-drenched landscape.What is eugene delacroix known for?
Eugène Delacroix is known as the leader of the Romantic movement after Gericault's death. He was considered a moody, solitary man, who always ran a slight fever.What was eugène delacroix known for?
Eugène Delacroix is known as the leader of the Romantic movement after Gericault's death. He was considered a moody, solitary man, who always ran a slight fever.When was eugene delacroix born?
Eugène Delacroix was born in 1798 in France. Eugène Delacroix died in 1863, aged 65.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Eugène Delacroix.
- [1] museum Department of Prints and Drawings of the Louvre Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Musée des Arts Décoratifs Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum Library-museum of the Comédie-Française Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum Musées Nationaux Récupération Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] museum Centre national des arts plastiques Used for: museum holdings.
- [7] academic René Huyghe, Eugène Delacroix Used for: biography.
- [8] academic Eugène Delacroix, an introduction Used for: biography.
- [9] academic The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Liberty Leading the People Used for: notable works.
- [10] book Susie Hodge, Art Used for: biography.
- [11] book Susie Hodge, Art: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Artists and Their Work Used for: biography.
- [12] museum Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-31. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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