Illustrations of the Imagination

by Karin Letcher

great detail.

a&e editor The comments overheard at the exhibit were

The works of French Romantic artist Eugene Delacroix are visions of his imagination. Although the subjects of his paintings are founded upon something concrete - a piece of literature, an observation, a moment in history, Delacroix adds to them emotion and imagination through his use of color and movement.

Some of the best examples of Delacroix's usage of vivid colors and swirling motion are on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the exhibit entitled "Delacroix: The Late Work."

In-included in the exhibit are some 70 paintings and 40 works on paper from the artist's last 15 years of life.

The pieces of the Delacroix exhibit are arranged in six sections by theme: allegory and mythology, landscape and flowers, literary illustrations, scenes of

North Africa, religion and animals.

Exhibit Information

• Location: Philadelphia Museum of Art on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway e For more information call (215) 763-8100. remarks like "There is so much to the paintings·· and "Every time I look at them, I see more to them." These statements are justified because the content of many of Delacroix's paintings are rather complex. There is almost always something going on in the backgrounds of the pieces, like a battle or people gathered in the distance. This aspect tends to distract from the central subjects of the paintings.

• Ticket Prices: Wednesday through Sunday, $10 for adults, $7 for senior citizens, children 5 to 17 years old and students with I.D.; Tuesdays only, $1 off ticket price. Call (215) 235SHOW for tickets or purchase them at the museum.

• Weekly Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last ticket issued at 3:30 p.m.); Wednesdays and Fridays. 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. (last ticket issued at 7:30 p.m.) and Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last ticket issued at 3:30 p.m.).

Paintings in the exhibit that stand out in terms of the visual imagery and emotion they present include ''Tiger Hunt" (1854) and "The Entombment" (1858-59). "Tiger Hunt" depicts a tiger biting into a horse's leg as the Arab hunter is moments from stabbing the tiger. You can almost feel the horse's agony as it writhes in pain.

The despair of the mourners of Christ's death is photo courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art 'Tiger Hunt" (1854) by Eugene Delacroix eloquently communicated in "The Entombment."

As you enter the exhibit, the first work that greets you is Delacroix's famous "Death of Sardanapalus." The painting is not actually the original, which is 20 feet long and is in Paris, but is a copy Delacroix created in 1846. There is also an accompanying sketch that the artist made in 1827 prior to producing the original painting. This presentation enables the viewers to see how Delacroix's work matured and intensified as he aged. The sketch is simple and lacking in composition, whereas the 1846 copy of "Death of Sardanapalus" has strong colors, an elaborate composition and

Delacroix was a forerunner of modern art. His innovations in color and movement and his talent for visually presenting emotions and imagination influenced Impressionists like Monet and other well-respected modern artists such as Cezanne and Van Gogh. The chance to view such a large amount of an artistic great's works like Delacroix's is rare and the only stop for the "Delacroix: The Late Work" exhibit in the U.S. is at the Philadelphia Museum of art. The exhibit runs until Jan, 3, 1999, so do not miss out on the opportunity to see such a significant portion of art history.

ATrENTION JOBSEEKERS....

Interviewing Workshop

TUESDAY OCT. 2TTH, 12:30-1:30 P.M.

RESUME

WEDNESDAY OCT. 28TH, 3-4 P.M.