Homage to Delacroix (or Hommage à Delacroix) is an 1864 group portrait by French artist Henri Fantin-Latour containing a group of his contemporaries surrounding a self-portrait of Eugène Delacroix who died a year prior. The painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1864.
Analysis of Homage to Delacroix
Fantin-Latour is pictured with nine other French artists early in their careers, all of which went on to become famous artists, and is particularly notable for being painted at the time of the beginning of French Impressionism to which many here would contribute greatly.
Pictured here are Louis Cordier, Louis Edmond Duranty, Alphonse Legros, Henri Fantin-Latour, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Eugène Delacroix, Champfleury, Édouard Manet, Félix Bracquemond, Charles Baudelaire and Albert de Balleroy.
The people in the painting
- Louis Cordier was a French sculptor known for his realistic busts and figurative works, often depicting African and Middle Eastern subjects.
- Louis Edmond Duranty was a French writer, art critic, and journalist who played an important role in the development of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.
- Alphonse Legros was a French painter, etcher, and sculptor known for his portraits and allegorical works, as well as his teaching at the Slade School of Fine Art in London.
- Henri Fantin-Latour was a French painter known for his still-life paintings and his depictions of friends and contemporaries, including the Impressionist artists.
- James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American painter and printmaker who spent much of his career in Europe, known for his atmospheric paintings of nocturnal scenes and his decorative prints and posters.
- Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic painter known for his dynamic and emotional works, including historical and mythological scenes as well as portraits.
- Champfleury was a French writer, art critic, and novelist who played a role in the development of Realism and championed the work of artists like Gustave Courbet.
- Édouard Manet was a French painter known for his depictions of contemporary life, including café scenes and portraits, as well as his controversial works like “Olympia” and “The Luncheon on the Grass”.
- Félix Bracquemond was a French artist known for his work in printmaking and ceramics, as well as his collaboration with the Impressionists and his role in the development of Art Nouveau.
- Charles Baudelaire was a French poet and art critic known for his role in the development of Symbolism and his writing on contemporary art, including the work of artists like Delacroix and Manet.
- Albert de Balleroy was a French sculptor known for his monumental works, including the “Monument to Gambetta” in Paris, as well as his depictions of animals and mythological figures.
Eugène Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix was a master painter who was generally considered to be the leader of the French Romantic School of art. He was inspired by the Renaissance masters of Italy and the North and was well respected by his contemporaries of the time.
Eugène Delacroix was a French painter born on April 26, 1798, in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, a suburb of Paris. He was the youngest of four children, and his father was a minister in the French government. Delacroix was a prodigious artist from a young age, and his parents encouraged his talent by enrolling him in art classes. He studied under Pierre-Narcisse Guérin and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, two of the most important artists of his time.
Delacroix became a leading figure in the French Romantic movement, which rejected the strict rules of Neoclassicism and emphasized emotion and individualism. He was also heavily influenced by the works of Rubens and the Venetian school of painting, and his style combined bold colors and dynamic brushstrokes with a sense of drama and passion.
One of Delacroix’s earliest works was “Dante and Virgil in Hell,” a large painting that depicted a scene from Dante’s Inferno. The painting was controversial when it was first exhibited in 1822, with some critics praising its energy and intensity while others criticized its lack of clarity and its departure from traditional conventions. Despite the controversy, the painting established Delacroix as a major artist and helped to launch the Romantic movement in France.
Delacroix went on to create many more works that showcased his unique style and his interest in historical and mythological themes. One of his most famous paintings is “Liberty Leading the People,” which depicts the allegorical figure of Liberty leading the people of France over the barricades during the July Revolution of 1830. The painting has become an iconic image of the French Revolution and of the fight for freedom and democracy.
Delacroix was also a prolific muralist, and he decorated many public buildings in Paris and elsewhere with large-scale works that celebrated the history and culture of France. His most famous mural is “The Battle of Nancy,” which depicts a battle between the armies of Charles the Bold and the Swiss Confederates. The painting was commissioned for the ceiling of the Salon of Peace in the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, and it remains one of Delacroix’s most impressive works.
In addition to his paintings and murals, Delacroix was also an accomplished lithographer and etcher, and he produced many prints throughout his career. He was also an avid traveler and visited many countries throughout Europe and the Middle East. His travels inspired many of his paintings and allowed him to explore new artistic styles and techniques.
Delacroix continued to paint and create until his death on August 13, 1863. He left behind a legacy of bold and passionate art that continues to inspire artists and art lovers around the world. His works can be seen in many museums and galleries, including the Louvre and the Musée Delacroix in Paris.
Location
Henri Fantin-Latour’s Homage to Delacroix is in the Musée d’Orsay in pairs, France.