Narcissus (Primary Title)
Eugène Delacroix, French, 1798 - 1863 (Artist)
An ardent Romantic artist, Delacroix produced precise studies of the natural world. His watercolor sketch of a single Narcissus contains many of the qualities that would have been prevalent in scientific imagery, including careful attention to detail and a blank background—so that the plant appears to float on the surface of the page. A comparison with the adjacent unknown artist’s Primulas, which displays more concern with composition and creating a beautiful bouquet, confirms that Delacroix’s Narcissus is a study of a living plant.
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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