Falaises à Étretat

Cliffs at Etretat from 1849 at the Boijmans Museum shows Delacroix painting the dramatic Normandy coastline that would later inspire the Impressionists. His marine landscapes demonstrate sensitivity to atmospheric effects of sea and sky. 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 chalk cliffs are rendered with bold palette and energetic brushwork. Delacroix's handling of the coastal atmosphere anticipates later developments in French landscape painting.