Born in 1798, Eugene Delacroix became the leading history painter of his generation. By his example, rather than as a formal teacher, he led the modern movement towards freedom of expression, lively brushwork, and bold colouring against the debilitated neo-classical tradition. Though labelled a "Romantic" by his contemporaries and to the present day, he was a passionate admirer of the antique and wished to emulate what he considered the true qualities of classical art - breadth of form combined with a feeling of life. He was the greatest colourist of the first half of the nineteenth century, and influenced Renoir, Van Gogh, and Seurat. This complete catalogue of Delacroix's paintings is the first to be attempted since 1885. The first volumes comprise a critical catalogue of the early paintings, and carry a full description, history, and bibliography of each picture. Delacroix's most famous Salon paintings such as "Death of Sardanapalus" and "Liberty Leading the People" are discussed at length. Paintings appear that have not previously been illustrated in books, and untraced or destroyed pictures are illustrated, where possible, from engravings.
