Eugène Delacroix and the Allure of the Orient: Orientalism in Art

The 19th-Century Fascination with the Orient

In the 19th century, Europe developed a strong fascination with the Orient. This cultural and artistic phenomenon emerged within the context of colonial expansion by major powers such as France and England. Orientalism became a movement expressed in literature and painting, reflecting both curiosity and exotic imagination.

Science, Exploration, and the Birth of Orientalist Curiosity

Science played a crucial role in the rise of Orientalism. The establishment of the School of Oriental Languages in 1795 illustrates this curiosity: teaching Eastern languages was considered “of recognized utility for politics and commerce.” Studying these languages also offered insight into the origins of human civilization, beyond classical Latin and Greek.

Simultaneously, Napoleon’s 1798 Egyptian campaign combined military objectives with scientific exploration. While the military campaign ultimately failed, the scientific expedition was a remarkable success, culminating in the publication of the Description de l’Égypte. This work, mixing field observations by scientists such as Berthollet, Monge, and Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire with visual documentation by Vivant Denon, gave rise to what would be called the “desire for the Orient”: a blend of exotic curiosity, fascination, and a sense of strangeness.

Travel Tales and Literary Perspectives

Travel writing became essential in shaping 19th-century European perceptions of the Orient. Famous writers like Chateaubriand, Lamartine, Théophile Gautier, Nerval, and Flaubert provided personal accounts. Their portrayals were not ethnographically precise but filtered through imagination and individual experience. Each writer interpreted the Orient through the lens of their own worldview.

“The Turkish Rider” and Orientalist Masterpieces

Among Delacroix’s Orientalist works, The Turkish Rider (1834), a gouache and watercolor using the English technique, exemplifies the fascination with the Orient and dynamic animal movement.

Its vivid colors and composition capture both the exoticism of the scene and the artist’s admiration for vitality and passion.

Delacroix: Painter, Observer, and Lover of Animals

Eugène Delacroix, a central figure of Orientalism, perfectly embodies this “desire for the Orient.” Yet his inspiration extended beyond travel literature: he drew immense influence from direct observation of nature and animals. In his journal, he wrote: “Tigers, panthers, jaguars, lions… where does the movement I felt come from? From leaving behind my everyday ideas, my world… How necessary it is to shake oneself, to look beyond, to read creation, which has nothing in common with our cities or man-made works” (January 19, 1847).

Delacroix spent hours at the Ménagerie du Roi (now the Jardin des Plantes) observing wild animals with his friend, sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye. Georges Cuvier, professor at the Muséum and friend to both artists, informed them of every opportunity to study animals. Nature became for Delacroix an inexhaustible source of inspiration. He saw in the movements of wild beasts an expression of passion and vitality, combining grace with ferocity. The lion, in particular, symbolized nobility and the struggle to the very end.

The Role of the Lion and the Horse

Horses also played a central role in Delacroix’s work. Influenced by his early mentor Théodore Géricault, he depicted horses in motion as extensions of human emotion. The horse becomes a companion to the rider, reflecting the inner intensity and furies of the human soul.

Experiencing Delacroix at the Museum

The Musée national Eugène-Delacroix, located in his former studio at Place Fürstenberg, offers a full immersion into his artistic universe. Visitors can see works such as The Lioness Ready to Pounce (1863), sculptures by Barye, and remarkable animal prints.

These pieces reveal the connection between careful observation of nature and creative expression, and illustrate how Orientalism is part of a broader quest for beauty, energy, and motion.