Watteau to Degas: French Drawings from the Frits Lugt Collection
October 6, 2009, through January 10, 2010
Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863)
Near Gibraltar
1832
Pastel and black chalk
In this tranquil work, subtle gradations of blue unite land, water, and sky. The deftness of the artist’s hand is felt in the variety of strokes and tones of the pastel crayon. Delacroix made this drawing aboard ship while traveling to North Africa as part of a diplomatic mission. Pastel was the ideal medium for capturing en route transitory scenes of the rugged Spanish coastline, or to pass the time when becalmed, as he was here, near Gibraltar. |
