Liberty Leading the People (28 July 1830). 1830. Oil on canvas.**Delacroix is another one of those hippy Romanticists and I must say that I find the ramblings of his journal to be rather gross fluff. Gross in the kitties and butterflies sense, just too squishy and emotional for me. Nonetheless, it contains a few good quips. The first one is a quote from Dufresne, “what made a man unusual was a way utterly peculiar to himself of seeing things.” Delacroix expounds by explaining that genius comes from imagination. Sounds to me like crazy people are perfect artists then, no? Van Gogh may be our proof {the crazy mofo known for cutting off his ear was been purported to have suffered a variety of ailments from bipolar to advanced syphilis} . Most any art student can tell you that at times their work makes them crazy. But what comes first, the chicken or the egg? Does an artist gravitate towards creation as an attempt to gain understanding from viewers? Or does slaving away trying to express an idea to perfection drive one to temporary insanity? Maybe my anxiety can help me create better art since it makes me feel pretty nucking futs sometimes!
I can’t say that I even understand all of Delacroix’s written mental meanderings… What did he mean by “You have only to appear with your manly and simple vigour, and you will please with a pleasure that is pure and absolute”?! I sent this quote to my long-distance boyfriend in a text and told him it reminded me of him. Sounds a little dirty, doesn’t it? {Sorry mom} Perhaps even better I find “if I am not quivering like a snake in the hands of a Pythoness, I am cold…” Ah ha ha ha haa! Yeah, Delacroix, me too. Speaking of correlation between artists and peculiarity…
*The Journal of Eugène Delaeroix, London: Jonathon Cape, 1938.**Image source: Photobucket
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