Ferdinand Victor Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863)

He is one of the most important Romantic painters of France. His work on the painter's expression, strong brushstrokes and the optical effects of colors influenced the Impressionists, and his passion for the exotic influenced the Symbolists. The French poet Baudelaire describes him as "the last great painter of the Renaissance and the first great painter of the modern period". Delacroix, who is a good lithographer as well as his painter, made lithographs of the works of William Shakespeare, Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott and German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Although he brought the spirit of ancient artists such as Michelangelo and Rubens back to life with his works, he produced works that were very different from their works in terms of style. The French poet Baudelaire defines the painter's individualistic romantic approach as follows: "Delacroix is ​​passionately attached to passion, but he painted passion in the coolest possible way." Delacroix is ​​a follower of the art of the French painter Théodore Géricault and was greatly influenced by the English poet Byron. His oil painting Freedom Leading the People, painted in 1830, is considered one of the masterpieces of French painting.

  He was born near Paris. His mother was a descendant of the famous furniture makers Oeben and Riesener. His father is statesman Charles Delacroix. However, it is also claimed that his real father was diplomat Talleyland, a family friend of C. Delacroix. E. Delacroix resembles Talleyland in physical appearance and character. Talleyland took care of him throughout his career as a painter.He started his painting education at the age of 18 at the National School of Fine Arts. He studied painting in neo-classical style from Pierre-Narcisse Guérin at this school. During these years, he read the works of authors such as Shakespeare, Byron, Scott. He also worked on cartoons while he was a student. He contracted malaria while painting to order in a church.

  Although his early works were influenced by the Renaissance painter Raphael, he gradually adopted a more liberal style and was influenced by the Dutch painter Peter Paul Rubens' style for a while. Later, he began to be influenced by the French romantic painter Théodore Géricault, whom he met and befriended during his school years. Influenced by Gericault, his first major work -Dante's Boat- was exhibited in Paris in 1822, and was met with ridicule by both the public and the painting authorities. However, this work was purchased by the state and placed in the Luxembourg Gallery.

Throughout his life, Delacroix saw that his works were first met with a negative reaction and then fiercely defended and supported by some powerful and enlightened circles.He became very famous with his painting "Massacre on Chios (1824)", which he painted two years after Dante's Boat. This painting depicts the sick and dying Greek civilians massacred by the Turks in Chios. At that time, it was very common among the French to have sympathy for the Greeks who were fighting for independence against the Turks.

  He influenced the Impressionist artists a lot. Renoir and Manet copied his paintings. Degas took Delacroix's portrait of Baron Schwiter and added it to his private collection. The modern artist Pablo Picasso has also interpreted Delacroix's works and has worked on his work called Algerian Women.

  He painted portraits of the painter Baron Schwiter and the violinist Nicolò Paganini. He also made portraits of the composer Frédéric Chopin and the writer George Sand. This painting was divided into two after the death of the painter and the parts showing each individual were kept separately.