Eugene Ferdinand Buttura Paintings

Eugene Ferdinand Victor Delacroix, often mistakenly referred to as Eugene Ferdinand Buttura, was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school. Delacroix's use of expressive brushstrokes and his study of the optical effects of color profoundly shaped the work of the Impressionists, while his passion for the exotic inspired the artists of the Symbolist movement. His birthplace was Charenton-Saint-Maurice, Île-de-France, near Paris.

Delacroix was born on April 26, 1812, to Charles-François Delacroix, who served as a minister of Foreign Affairs and as ambassador to Holland, and Victoire Oeben, the daughter of a furniture maker. His father, however, died when Eugene was seven, and there has been speculation that his biological father may have been the statesman Talleyrand, a close friend of the family.

Delacroix received his education at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand and at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen. He was trained by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin in the neoclassical style of Jacques-Louis David but was early inspired by the more colorful and rich style of the earlier Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, and by the contemporary works of the Romantic painter Théodore Géricault, whose approach to art exerted a profound influence on Delacroix’s work.

His first major painting, 'Dante and Virgil in Hell,' was a critical success at the Salon of 1822 and established his reputation. Delacroix produced a series of masterpieces including 'The Massacre at Chios' (1824), 'The Death of Sardanapalus' (1827), 'Liberty Leading the People' (1830), and many others. His work was characterized by a bold use of color and a dramatic expression of emotion, which often depicted scenes from literature, mythology, history, and politics, resonating with the Romantic spirit of the age.

Throughout his career, Delacroix was also an accomplished lithographer, illustrator, and mural painter. He undertook a series of decorative projects for various government buildings, including the Palais Bourbon and the Palais du Luxembourg.

Delacroix traveled to North Africa in 1832, where he was inspired by the people, the landscapes, and the light. This trip would influence his subsequent works, many of which feature scenes from his travels, such as 'Women of Algiers in their Apartment' (1834). The trip intensified his color palette and influenced his understanding of light, which would become evident in his later works.

Eugene Delacroix died in Paris on August 13, 1852. He left behind an extensive body of work that had a significant impact on the development of modern art. His legacy is celebrated in the Louvre's Delacroix Museum, which was formerly his home and studio.