The Duel Between Faust and Valentine, from Faust

The Duel Between Faust and Valentine, from Faust by Eugène Delacroix French, 1798-1863, dated 1828, captures the climactic, violent moment from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s tragic dramatic poem. This powerful work is executed as a lithograph in black on ivory wove paper, demonstrating the artist’s skill in harnessing the expressive potential of the relatively new print medium.

Delacroix created an influential series of illustrations for Faust, and this piece focuses on the fatal confrontation where Faust, shielded and aided by the Devil Mephistopheles, kills Valentine, the protective brother of his lover, Marguerite. The sharp contrast inherent in the lithographic process allows Delacroix to emphasize the dramatic tension, using deep, inky shadows against stark white highlights to illuminate the figures struggling violently in the darkness. This technique heightens the sense of frantic action and tragic inevitability characteristic of the Romantic period in France.

As one of the leading French Romantic painters of the 19th century, Delacroix’s illustrations were pivotal in introducing the German literary masterpiece to a wider French audience. This 1828 print reflects the artist’s signature style, utilizing dynamic composition and emotionally charged subject matter. The work resides in the print collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, serving as an important example of both 19th-century French lithography and the widespread dissemination of great literature through visual art. As a historical work, high-resolution versions of this print are often found available for reference in the public domain.