Studies after Rubens’s “The Flight into Egypt”

Studies after Rubens’s “The Flight into Egypt” by Eugène Delacroix, executed in graphite between 1825 and 1835, serves as a profound technical analysis by the leading French Romantic painter engaging directly with the compositional brilliance of Peter Paul Rubens. This drawing reflects Delacroix’s lifelong practice of copying and dissecting Old Master paintings, a method crucial to developing his own expressive and dramatic style. Specifically, the drawing focuses on the complex spatial arrangement and dynamic figural groups found within Rubens’s original Baroque treatment of the biblical narrative, The Flight into Egypt.

In these preparatory sheets, Delacroix employs graphite to translate Rubens’s rich oils and vigorous brushwork into sharp, concise lines and deliberate shading. The artist uses quick, analytical strokes to capture the essentials of movement and form, paying close attention to the arrangement of the Holy Family and the animals that carry them. The study is less about creating a finished work than it is about internalizing the mechanics of movement and the principles of grand composition that characterized the Flemish master’s output. Delacroix’s disciplined approach to drawing, even while interpreting another artist’s work, underscores the intellectual rigor behind his seemingly spontaneous canvases.

Classified as a drawing, this piece offers essential documentation of Delacroix’s artistic pedagogy and his deep reverence for Baroque composition. The original graphite studies are housed within the distinguished collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they are valued not only as records of the artist’s process but also as documents illustrating the continuity between French Romanticism and earlier European traditions. As significant historical records, high-quality prints derived from these preparatory drawings are widely available through public domain art initiatives, enabling ongoing research into Delacroix’s methods and his lasting contributions to the art of drawing.