The Massacre at Chios

Eugène Delacroix was one of the giants of French painting, but his last full retrospective exhibition in Paris dates back to 1963, the centenary year of his death. In collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Louvre is holding a historic exhibition featuring some 180 works—mostly paintings—as a tribute to his entire career. The exhibition ends on July 23, 2018; it's one of the most important shows this year!

This subject was drawn from a contemporary event, the early-nineteenth-century war of independence fought by the Greeks against the Turks. Thousands of Greeks were massacred on the island of Chios. Delacroix was inspired by reports of the events to produce this large painting.

Walk past the painting from left to right, looking at the faces and bodies on which the light falls. Their expressions are a perfect picture of fear and weary despair. The horror of war is suggested by the semi-nudity and the physical lassitude of the defeated Greeks. The blades of the daggers are there to see. Tears and blood are flowing over the bodies of a dying couple. The victorious forces in their uniforms are in shadow, suggesting the unhappy fate that awaits the captives.

Take a couple of steps back and look at the background of the painting. The alternating patches of dark and light form an apocalyptic scene, the aftermath of a dreadful battle. The blurred brushstrokes strengthen this impression of desolation.

Delacroix painted another great masterpiece that deals with the theme of freedom and independence, Liberty Leading the People, which we have featured two weeks ago. You can see it in our Archive!

Talking about Delacroix and Musee du Louvre, we invite you to plunge with Christopher Michaut into the life of this contrasting man and a legendary artist. "I turn around and understand that the next room breaks down the barriers of female nudity. I can see the intensity of their expressions and their sensual curves. They can be powerful or lascivious, victims or executioners, all striking and captivating. I leave you with some images…"