Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “The Massacre at Chios”
The Delacroix picture reflects one of the tragic episodes in the history of Greece. One day in September 1821, Turkish troops invaded the island of Chios, in the Aegean Sea. In retaliation for the fact that the local population reacted with sympathy to the events of the people’s liberation struggle of the Greek people against the Turkish yoke, the Turks massacred tens of thousands of inhabitants and thousands of them drove them into slavery.
The painting “The Massacre at Chios” was a response to the inhumanity of this action. Against the background of armed horsemen, the inhabitants of the island doomed to death appear before the viewer. They resigned themselves to the impending doom, their views are detached. The Chios realize the inevitability and only hold the weeping children closer to themselves. And in the background – neat buildings located in a valley illuminated by the fertile sun of the Mediterranean.
The viewer’s gaze slides on and the valley is replaced by the overcast waters of the Aegean Sea, which have absorbed all the pain and cruelty of the drama that has been played out. The bright strip of the sky above the dark smooth surface of the sea, indifferently looks at all the participants.
Delacroix returns to the figurative language and symbolism of the ancient Greek tragedy. The Turkish cavalryman, who drags the naked Greek woman behind him, remains unshakable and cold to the suffering of the unfortunate. He is a sign of future bondage and shackles. It is symbolic and a small child, in vain trying to cling to the breast of a murdered mother. Blood flows out of the body of a mortally wounded man in a red stream and generously sprinkles dried soil.
A fragment of a dagger beside it shows that the resistance forces are exhausted and broken. The empty bag, not far from the dagger, symbolizes the moral and material emptiness of this scorched and watered earth.
Related posts:
- Eugene Delacroix painting “Self-portrait”Eugene Delacroix is a French painter and graphic artist. It is he who is considered the founder of the romantic trend in European painting. His coloristic research had a significant impact on the formation of impressionism. Eugene Delacroix studied art skills from old masters in the Louvre. He was inspired by the art of English […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “Medea”The plot is taken by the artist from the famous tragedy of the ancient Greek writer Euripides “Medea”. ” The image of Medea is known to us from ancient Greek myths and legends. The passionate and strong-willed Queen Medea was the keeper of the Golden Fleece, a symbol of luxury and power. Jason, drawn by […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “Chopin”The unfinished portrait of Frédéric Chopin was painted by the French painter Eugene Delacroix in 1838. This portrait is not the most crucial role in the artist, but at the same time is very interesting for many reasons. Firstly, this portrait was created by the author not for an order, but solely for personal reasons. […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “Algerian women”The painting “Algerian women” (often “Algerian women in their chambers”) was painted by Eugene Delacroix in 1834 and later served as an inspiration for Picasso, Matisse and Renoir. The artist was greatly impressed by the harem that he saw in Algeria during his trip to North Africa. Being a guest of one sultan, Delacroix was […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “Lion Hunt in Morocco”His picture “The hunt for lions in Morocco” Delacroix wrote in 1854, according to the memoirs of twenty years ago on a trip to East Africa. The style of painting, the emotional tension of the captured scene of preparation for the battle with the beast of two hunters is quite typical for Delacroix, but it […]...
- Description of Eugene Delacroix’s painting The Death of OpheliaThe picture is based on an episode from the tragedy of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. Eugene Delacroix was always interested in the secrets of the soul. Depicting Ophelia, who is in a state of semi-delirium, he tries to comprehend the human essence. Like many romantics, Delacroix believed that it was in a state of insanity or […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “Moroccan saddling a horse”Eugene Delacroix refers to the flow of the French romantics. Adherence to this direction is reflected in the painting “Moroccan, saddling a horse.” The artist conveys the smallest details of the scene with stunning accuracy. We see the folds on the clothes of a Moroccan, every wrinkle on his face. The plot of the canvas […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “Rook Dante”Delacroix borrowed the plot for his famous “Rook” from the legendary “Divine Comedy”. Thanks to this work, the artist was marked by the first great achievement in his 24 years. The very name of the canvas already contains a reference to the symbolism of the written image. After all, even the ancient ancestors of the […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “George Sand”Before us is a fragment of a once whole picture depicting George Sand and Frederic Chopin. He met the French writer Delacroix at the end of 1833, and the result of this meeting was a long friendship not without a hint of mutual sympathy. The artist liked the independence of the woman, her resistance to […]...
- Description of Eugene Delacroix’s painting The Death of SardanapalaThe poem, written in 1821 by Byron based on the legends of King Sardanapale, after 6 years, led the legendary creator of large-scale canvases to create a great dramatic composition. In the picture we see how the great Sardanapalus reclines, leaning on its own bed, at a time when the enemies are ready to break […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “Freedom leading people” (Freedom on the barricades)Later, the picture of Eugene Delacroix, written by him in 1830, began to be called “Freedom on the barricades”, but initially it was called “Freedom leading people”. Sometimes there was a mistaken view that the canvas was created under the influence of the French Revolution, however, in fact, Delacroix dedicated the plot to the events […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “Dante and Virgil”Eugene Delacroix is rightfully considered the founder of French Romanticism. Most of his works are intense epic scenes, made in rich contrasting colors, not characteristic of neoclassicism that still dominates in France at the beginning of the 19th century. The origin of Eugene Delacroix is still shrouded in mystery, according to one version, he is […]...
- Description of the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky “Fight in the Strait of Chios”Aivazovsky – the most famous of Russian marine painters, he is known for his famous painting “The Ninth Wave”. From the genres he preferred landscapes – mostly sea or having at least some relation to the sea – or historical scenes. “Fight in the Chios Strait” – one of the last. It depicts one of […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Delacroix “Portrait of Paganini”A great musician who knew how to handle his instrument perfectly. They even said that he was associated with the devil, because no one knew how to play the violin, as he did. It was the case that he even managed to play on one string. All because all the strings for the concert burst, […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Antipova “Roses”Antipova – a Soviet artist who worked in the style of realism and preferred portraits and still lifes from the genres – she liked to display the surrounding reality as fully and truthfully as possible. Roses “- one of her floral paintings, which concluded the whole summer. Specifically, this picture depicts a bouquet of flowers […]...
- Description of the painting by Eugene Shirokov “Friends”The main characters of the work “Friends” are a boy and a dog. The boy is dressed in home clothes and gently strokes his pet. It is evident that the four-legged friend is devoted to his master, she looks at him, understands, but cannot say anything. The dog’s constricted ear speaks of its concentration, it […]...
- Description of the painting by Zinaida Serebryakova “Portrait of Eugene”Zinaida Serebryakova was born in the village of Neskuchny of the Kharkov province in a family of famous architects and artists Lensere-Benoit. The girl inherited a bright creative talent of the family and after graduating from the gymnasium, she goes on an internship to Italy, studying painting at the Academy in Paris. In 1905, Zinaida […]...
- Description of the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky “Navarinsky fight”The artistic work “Navarinsky battle” was written by Aivazovsky in the period of romanticism in oil on canvas and belongs to such a genre of art as battle painting. A famous artist completed his work on the painting in 1848, recalling how, as a child, he was often mentally transferred to far-off Greece, which fought […]...
- Description of the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky “Brig” Mercury “, attacked by two Turkish ships”The famous Russian marine painter Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is the author of a number of canvases in which the main characters are huge and majestic sailboats, a lot of sea and endless sky. The painting “Brig” Mercury “, attacked by two Turkish ships, was painted by the artist in 1892, many years after the events […]...
- Description of the painting by Konstantin Makovsky “Girl in Flora Suit”A portrait in painting is an artistic image of a person, conveying his inner world. There is nothing superfluous in the space of canvases that would distract the viewer from the character depicted. Among the vast artistic heritage of Konstantin Makovsky, women’s portraits occupy a huge place. One of the best and probably the most […]...
- Description of the painting by Jean-Auguste Ingres “Turkish bath”Engrou was seventy-nine years old when he began work on this picture and eighty-two when he finished it. She sums it up – having devoted all his life to work and research in the nude genre (that is, in the nude genre), he finds his meaning, his Grail, and embodies the best that he has […]...
- Description of the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky “Sinop battle”The famous Russian marine painter, IK Aivazovsky, wrote all the states of the sea: from serene calm to the ninth wave. Fighting excitement on the water also did not escape the attention of a great artist. He dedicated a number of canvases to the description of battles during the Crimean War. At the end of […]...
- Description of the painting by Raphael Santi “Three Graces”“Three Graces” – a painting by Raphael, which depicts Innocence, Beauty and Love, as they were presented to the artist. All the girls are very young, all have similar hair color, cleaned so as not to look neat. Holding each other – because ideal love is always beautiful and innocent, ideal beauty is always innocent […]...
- Description of the painting by Vladimir Makovsky “Bulgarian martyrs”Cloth depicting the drama – rather the exception in the work of Vladimir Makovsky, than the trend. His paintings are usually bright and kind, but the news of how the Turks brutally massacred the Bulgarian population, suppressing the rebellion, could not leave the subtle artistic nature indifferent. The characters in the film “The Bolganskiy Martyrs” […]...
- Description of the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky “Chesmensky battle”The Chesme battle is a heroic episode in the history of the war between the Turkish and Russian navies, which was throughout 1768-1774. From June 25 to June 26, 1770, at night, Russian ships managed to “lock up” the Turks and crush the enemy fleet. During the battle, 11 Russian sailors were heroically killed, and […]...
- Description of the monument to the victims of communism in PragueMonuments are different. Some may cause laughter, others bewilderment, third anger, fourth indifference and surprise, but there are those that can be called “strong.” One of these cultural monuments are the victims of communism in Prague. The monument very clearly represents how the system, which was in the country for half a century from 1948 […]...
- Description of the sculpture “Nick Samothrace”The statue of the winged goddess Nike is considered the most famous masterpiece of Greek art. She was discovered in the spring of 1863 on the island of Samothrace. Transported to the capital of France, and twenty years later installed on the stairs leading to the Louvre. Until now, people from different countries can admire […]...
- Description of the painting by Vincent Van Gogh “Pieta”Vincent Willem van Gogh painted the Pieta in 1889. It was made on canvas with oil. The picture was painted by the artist at the end of his life, during endless depressions and creative searches. However, despite the tragedy of the events in the life of Van Gogh, this period is the heyday of his […]...
- Description of the painting by Fedor Reshetnikov “Boys”Fedor Pavlovich Reshetnikov – Soviet artist. He is a representative of such a genre as socialist realism, where reality and censorship prevail. Therefore, many pictures of Reshetnikov show the mood not only of the author, but of all epochs in general. The painting “Boys” was written in 1971. On it we see three boys, who […]...
- Description of the painting by Sandro Botticelli “Return of Judith”The great Italian artist of the Renaissance – Sandro Botticelli is the author of many of the greatest works that became the heritage of world culture, among which can be noted the canvas entitled “The Return of Judith” written between 1472 and 1473. Judith is a biblical character, a widowed girl who, according to legend, […]...
- Description of the painting by Salvador Dali “Splitting an atom”The Hiroshima explosion – a terrible one that shook the earth to its foundations and changed the course of history, influenced Salvador Dali. He, who had previously been interested in the structure of the world, the secret laws by which he works, nuclear physics, biology and other natural sciences, was fascinated by the very idea […]...
- Description of the painting by Pavel Filonov “Goat”The work of Pavel Filonov “Goat”, at first glance, resembles a child’s drawing. As if a very small child decided to play with colors and made some bright blots on paper. Perhaps this was the main task of the avant-garde Filonov. With the help of childlike spontaneity and ease, he wanted to portray the provocation, […]...
- Description of the painting by Frans Snyders “Fish Shop”The work of Frans Snyders in the State Hermitage Museum “Fish Shop” cannot fail to impress with its rich composition. The picture combines elements that can not be compatible in reality. The only thing they have in common is their habitat. And this is the underwater world. The work of Snyders displays various aquatic inhabitants […]...
- Description of the painting by Salvador Dali “Portrait of Picasso”Salvador Dali almost did not create portraits of other artists. There are very few exceptions – for example, he once depicted Velasquez in a painting. One such exception is the Portrait of Picasso written in 1947. The relationship of two artists, each of whom considered himself an absolute genius (Dali didn’t even hesitate to compile […]...
- Description of the painting by Nikolas Poussin “Parnassus”The bright and vivid picture of Parnassus depicts gods, poets, nymphs and other heroes of Greek mythology and history. This is a very characteristic work of Poussin, which combines all the features of his artistic style. The plot of the canvas is taken from the fresco painted by Raphael, adorning the Sistine Chapel. Parnassus is […]...
- Description of the painting by Jean-Auguste Ingres “Oedipus and the Sphinx”The basis of his famous work Ingre laid the ancient Greek legend of the Sphinx. Sphinx – a terrible monster with a female head and charms, but he has a lion body, a rattlesnake tail and huge white wings. For each traveler who wants to get into Thebes, this monster would make a well-known riddle […]...
- Description of the painting by Mikhail Larionov “Venus”Mikhail Larionov painted the picture “Venus” in 1912. At that time, he was interested in manifestations of folk art, children’s drawings and art objects of ancient cultures. Therefore, archaic, simplified, even infantile stylistic resources are easily guessed in the outlines of the lying nude. There are several colors in the image: bright yellow, white, details […]...
- Description of the painting by Gustav Klimt “Music”The idea of synthesizing methods of music, painting and literature permeates all the creative practices of symbolism, to which many artists of the era of the turn of the century addressed. This fate did not pass and the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, in the paintings of which (“Music” in 1895, the cycle “Beethoven Frieze”) clearly […]...
- Description of the painting by Guido Reni “Abduction of EuropeIn the visual arts of the whole world, great importance is attached to ancient mythology. One of the most interesting ancient Greek legends is the story describing the abduction of a beautiful girl named Europe by the king of all gods on Olympus Zeus. The great artist Renee Guido presented this plot and portrayed it […]...
- Description of the painting by Sandro Botticelli “Slander”If you listen to the statements of George Vasari, then the culprit of the picture, written by Sandro Botticelli, was his friend Antonio Senya, who advised to recreate the lost images. The plot of the work was the lost work of the Greek artist Appeles. This work can not be hung just on the wall. […]...