Arcadópolis
Nudity. This work is shown blurred, as in the Museum.Show work
The Barque of Dante
Eugène Delacroix, 1822
What you see
In a small boat at the center, Dante, in a red hood and pale robe, raises a hand in alarm, while Virgil, wrapped in a red cloak, stands beside him. Behind them, an oarsman with a muscular back leans over his oar. All around, unclothed figures in the water cling to the side of the boat or drift among the waves.
The background is dark and cloudy, and on the left a walled city burns with an orange glow. The reds of the cloaks stand out against the grays and greens of the water. Detail is limited in this reproduction, but you can make out the spray on the right and the figure on the left raising his hands to his face beside the boat.
About Eugène Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix was the great painter of French Romanticism: he loved scenes full of movement, emotion and intense colour. He travelled to Morocco and Algeria, and the light of those countries transformed his palette. His free brushwork later inspired the Impressionists.
More by Eugène Delacroix
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