Man in a turban raising a curved sword beside a young woman in gold who clings to him, on rocks by the sea

The Bride of Abydos

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What you see

A man in a pink and red turban, blue jacket and red boots stretches his arm out to the left, a curved sword in his hand. Beside him, a young woman in a golden dress clings to his arm and leans forward, eyes lowered. They stand on rocks in front of a dark cave; on the right, the sea and a pale sky open up.

The background is dark brown, nearly black, and against it glow the gold of the dress, the blue of the jacket and the reds of the turban and boots. The brushwork is loose, especially in the rocks and waves. Spot the red glow among the rocks on the left and the white foam of the sea at lower right.

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.

All 10 works by Eugène Delacroix