Illustrations for Faust: Faust and Méphistophélés in the mountains of the Hartz

Illustrations for Faust: Faust and Méphistophélès in the mountains of the Hartz by Eugène Delacroix, created in 1828, is a seminal lithograph in the history of French graphic arts. This sophisticated print exemplifies the dynamism and emotional depth Delacroix brought to the burgeoning Romantic movement in France. The artist was commissioned to illustrate the influential French translation of Goethe’s dramatic poem Faust, producing a series of prints that garnered international acclaim and solidified his reputation as a master of dramatic narrative.

The work vividly captures the moment from Goethe’s epic where the protagonist and Méphistophélès traverse the jagged, supernatural landscape of the Hartz Mountains on their journey toward Walpurgis Night. As a lithograph, this medium allowed Delacroix greater flexibility than traditional engraving techniques, facilitating the use of broad washes of tone and sweeping, energetic lines that translate the intense, brooding atmosphere of the source material. Delacroix utilizes stark contrasts between light and shadow, essential for conveying the sense of dread and the supernatural elements inherent in the narrative.

Delacroix’s Illustrations for Faust series had a profound and lasting impact on subsequent generations of European artists, demonstrating how a print could achieve the emotional magnitude typically associated with large-scale painting. This specific impression, a key example of a 19th-century French print, is housed within the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Works from this important series are often found in public domain collections today, reflecting their enduring historical and artistic significance.