Figure Studies after Rubens's "Fall of the Rebel Angels"
ca. 1820–22
Medium
Graphite
Dimensions
sheet: 8 1/4 x 12 3/8 in. (20.9 x 31.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of Philippe de Montebello, 2013
Accession Number
2013.1135.30
Tags
About this artwork
Eugène Delacroix's 'Figure Studies after Rubens's Fall of the Rebel Angels' (circa 1820-22) documents the young artist's study of Flemish Baroque masters. Executed in graphite, this drawing shows Delacroix copying figures from Peter Paul Rubens's dynamic composition. Such studies were fundamental to 19th century artistic training, allowing artists to absorb Old Masters' compositional strategies and figure rendering techniques. Delacroix particularly admired Rubens's energetic brushwork, dramatic...
About the Artist
Eugène Delacroix|Peter Paul Rubens · 1798–1863
Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) stands as the defining figure of French Romanticism and a pivotal bridge to modernism. Born in Charenton-Saint-Maurice near Paris, he came from distinguished lineage—his mother descended from the prestigious Oeben-Riesener furniture dynasty, while persistent speculation suggested the statesman Talleyrand may have been his biological father, a theory supported by physic...