1860, Eugène Delacroix, Scene from the Romance of Amadis de Gaule -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label:
More than any other 19th-century artist, Delacroix embodied the mature style of French Romanticism in his work. His use of vibrant colors and his fluid handling of paint are indebted to earlier artists such as Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and Titian (1488/90-1576). Most often, he applied his innovative and distinctive style to subjects inspired by medieval history and literature, distancing his art from the Neoclassical tradition that favored ancient Greco-Roman history and mythology.
This picture dates from later in the artist's career and was inspired by a 14th-century Iberian tale of chivalry, Amadis de Gaule. The story recounts the various challenges that the noble young knight Amadis must overcome to prove his love to the princess Oriana. Delacroix was familiar with a French translation of the story published in 1779. However, he appears to have invented the scene of this painting, as it does not correspond to any specific description in the book. The passionate love underscored by the dramatic violence of the composition is exemplary of the dynamic energy associated with the Romantic movement.
1860, Eugène Delacroix, Scene from the Romance of Amadis de Gaule -- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond)
From the museum label:
More than any other 19th-century artist, Delacroix embodied the mature style of French Romanticism in his work. His use of vibrant colors and his fluid handling of paint are indebted to earlier artists such as Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and Titian (1488/90-1576). Most often, he applied his innovative and distinctive style to subjects inspired by medieval history and literature, distancing his art from the Neoclassical tradition that favored ancient Greco-Roman history and mythology.
This picture dates from later in the artist's career and was inspired by a 14th-century Iberian tale of chivalry, Amadis de Gaule. The story recounts the various challenges that the noble young knight Amadis must overcome to prove his love to the princess Oriana. Delacroix was familiar with a French translation of the story published in 1779. However, he appears to have invented the scene of this painting, as it does not correspond to any specific description in the book. The passionate love underscored by the dramatic violence of the composition is exemplary of the dynamic energy associated with the Romantic movement.