Der sterbende Valentin

The Dying Valentine from 1826 at the Bavarian State Painting Collections depicts a scene from Goethe's Faust, one of Delacroix's most important literary inspirations. His engagement with Faust produced some of the finest literary illustrations in Romantic art. As the leading French Romantic painter, Delacroix brought passionate color and dynamic energy to all his subjects; his journal records his constant study of color relationships and his admiration for Rubens, Constable, and Veronese.

The dramatic composition captures the death scene with emotional intensity and somber palette. Delacroix's handling of the figures conveys the tragic dimensions of Goethe's narrative.