Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-02-04
By Leila Mechlin

The Phillips Memorial Gallery is
holding at this time, and until Feb
ruary 26th, loan exhibition OF
paintings by the great French ro-
manifest, Eugene Delacroix, whose
dates were 1798-1863.
Two of the thirteen paintings in
cluded in the showing are from
the Phillips collection, the remain
der are lent by various fortunate
owners, and were selected from
larger exhibition of this masters
works, shown, at the end of the
past year, in the galleries of Widen
stein & Co., New York.
Eugene Delacroix's father during
his little sons boyhood held i'm
portant positions under the civil
government in Marseilles and Bor-
deaux, both colorful places, and, as
busy ports, calculated to encourage
the spirit of adventure in one sensi-
tive to impressions. After his
fathers death he gratified this spirit
by going to North Africa, Morocco,
Algiers and elsewhere, gathering
AldOCl 1dl 4Ol 1cCCl uSS.
Painting to Delacroix seems to
have been instinctively a most nat
ural medium of expression, but with
uncommon wisdom, he seems to
have realized the Importance of
mastering his craft before attempt
ing the employment of art. He
learned to draW-he studied assid-
uously, he opened his mind to
achievement in many fields and so
enriched the soil of experience from
which, in time, his own great works
were to come.
Bones of Contention
Gericault was a fellow student
and constant friend, whose influ-
ence can well be traced in Della
croixs early work, and whose death
was much lamented by him. This
came at a time when strong cur
rents in art were to meet and dis
rupt the course of the main stream
Classicism and romanticism were
the bones of contention, and,
strangely enough, Delacroix seized
upon both and employed them to
his own advantage-at least to
that of his work.
1t is said that Delacroix was
much influenced by the British
landscape painters, Constable, Bon
nington and others of his day, but,
If so, it is not traceable in his best
known canvases. He was always a
dramatist, an extensive reader. On
Dante. on Shakespeare, on Goethe
he feasted vociferously. He loved
music but especially that which
stirred the emotions. The boldness
and richness of Rubens paintings
fascinated him, but it was the work
OF Rembrandt that swept him off
his feet and gave him most in
spiration. All this, and yet, we
are told, that with the drama of life
flamouring for expression, he fire.
quently took time to pause in his
work and listen, entranced, toll the
sweet singing of birds in the tree
tops. Ellie Faure says of Delacroix:
He was the strongest and greatest
painter-soul since Rembrandt"
So individual is Delacroix,s work
that it would supposedly have
aroused controversy and dissensison
among the painters of France, who
were by no means at this time in
accord. But apparently it did not
do SO. To the contrary it met with
favor not only of the public but
the outstanding members of the
profession. In 1881 he was elected
member of the Legion of Honor,
later to become an officer and COM
mander.
Meanwhile he exhibited regularly
at the salon and was the recipient
OF much-coveted awards. When in |
the 1870s the late w. T. Walters Of |
Baltimore purchased pictures abroad
Tor the gallery he had built adjacent
to his residence on Mount Vernon
Square he acquired, under the best
advice, four paintings by Delacroix,
each representative example. It
was through these in the early COS
that the writer, then a student in
the Corcoran School, with other
students On an animal y,sIrr},,, n "a /