The Smoker
Eugène Delacroix·1830
Historical Context
The Smoker from around 1830 shows Delacroix painting a genre subject with Romantic intensity. His Orientalist-influenced figure studies often depict solitary figures in contemplation, invested with psychological depth. Delacroix executed the work with his characteristic broken, energetic brushwork and rich colorism, building up his surfaces in ways that directly influenced the Impressionists who studied his technique at the Louvre after his death.
Technical Analysis
The figure is rendered with rich color and atmospheric handling. Delacroix's brushwork creates an image of absorbed contemplation.
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