Studies of Horses, Hands, and Feet (recto); Studies of Heads and Figures (verso)

Eugène Delacroix

ca. 1822–27 · Pen and brown and iron gall ink (recto); graphite, pen and iron gall ink, brush and brown wash (verso) on blue-green paper · Drawings and Prints

Delacroix’s teacher Guérin advocated for the study of nature over imitating the antique. This proved fundamental to the younger artist’s development. He later wrote, "It is generally acknowledged that what is known as creation in the great painters is only a special manner in which each of them saw, coordinated, and rendered nature." Delacroix’s general manner of "coordinating and rendering nature" was summary, a quality exemplified in this study sheet of horses, hands, and feet observed from multiple angles. With minimal strokes of the pen, he could convey the quality of something seen.

Artist

Eugène Delacroix

Date

ca. 1822–27

Medium

Pen and brown and iron gall ink (recto); graphite, pen and iron gall ink, brush and brown wash (verso) on blue-green paper

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift from the Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix, in honor of Marjorie Shelley, 2013