Mephistopheles Appearing to Faust, from Faust

Mephistopheles Appearing to Faust, from Faust is a foundational work of Romantic printmaking created by Eugène Delacroix French, 1798-1863. Executed in 1828, this impactful image is a lithograph printed in black on ivory wove paper. Delacroix utilized this versatile medium extensively throughout his career, allowing him to widely disseminate dramatic literary illustrations and solidifying his position as a leader in 19th-century French art.

The subject matter is drawn directly from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s seminal tragic drama, Faust, a work that profoundly influenced the Romantic movement across Europe. Delacroix created an entire suite of illustrations for the poem, treating the series not merely as visual aids but as independent artistic statements. This specific scene captures the terrifying moment when the demon Mephistopheles materializes before the elderly scholar Faust in his study.

The stark tonal contrast inherent to the lithographic technique emphasizes the supernatural drama, with the deep, velvety blacks and bright whites enhancing the spectral appearance of the devil against the shadowy, scholarly setting. Delacroix's energetic and expressive handling of line is evident, defining the swirling robes and the horrified posture of the protagonist.

Delacroix’s series on Mephistopheles Appearing to Faust remains one of his most celebrated achievements in the graphic arts. This piece is characteristic of the expressive power the artist brought to the medium of prints in France. Today, this influential work is held within the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a key example of Romantic literature interpreted through early printmaking, ensuring its continued study as part of the public domain.