The Restless eye: Eugene Delacroix: a film based on his paintings and his journals

Episode of Series “Phaidon art collection”.
Born in France in 1798 and dying in 1863, Eugene Delacroix was one of the most important Romantic painters of his time, earning him the retrospective reputation of, ‘a painter’s painter’ - his work’s being referenced and copied by the likes of Manet, Picasso and Van Gogh. This documentary is based on the journals that Delacroix wrote since age 24 which have since become literary classics in their own right. The writings reveal much of Delacroix’s dilemmas and intentions in his life and art. He was sceptical of progress, disdainful of the masses and scornful of revolution, but also intended to articulate his fascination with the barbarity and violence of ‘humanity’. Declaring, “I’m trying to make a beauty which is not quiet”, Delacroix painted a heady mix of beauty and cruelty with constant movement, colour, and restless energy. Cast includes John Carson as Delacroix.