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EUGENE DELACROIX. Hamlet and Laertes at the Tomb of Ophelia

EUGENE DELACROIX. Hamlet and Laertes at the Tomb of Ophelia. Artist: Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798-1863 Paris). Dimensions: sheet: 9 3/16 x 12 1/16 in. (23.3 x 30.6 cm). Subject: William Shakespeare (British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564-1616 Stratford-upon-Avon). Date: ca. 1843. This design relates to Delacroix's series of lithographs devoted to Shakespeare's Hamlet. Here, late in the play (act 5, scene 1), the prince has returned unannounced to Denmark and stumbles upon the funeral for Ophelia, his spurned lover. The girl's brother, Laertes, blames Hamlet for causing her madness and subsequent drowning, and they fight within the open grave. Dramatic gestures convey the consternation of the king, queen, and attendant clergy. Strong tonal contrasts convey Delacroix's Romantic visual response to a subject concerned with anger, sorrow, and guilt stirred by tragic loss. In the related print, details were tightened to clarify the narrative.
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Author:
Title:
Hamlet and Laertes at the Tomb of Ophelia
Caption:
Hamlet and Laertes at the Tomb of Ophelia. Artist: Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798-1863 Paris). Dimensions: sheet: 9 3/16 x 12 1/16 in. (23.3 x 30.6 cm). Subject: William Shakespeare (British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564-1616 Stratford-upon-Avon). Date: ca. 1843. This design relates to Delacroix's series of lithographs devoted to Shakespeare's Hamlet. Here, late in the play (act 5, scene 1), the prince has returned unannounced to Denmark and stumbles upon the funeral for Ophelia, his spurned lover. The girl's brother, Laertes, blames Hamlet for causing her madness and subsequent drowning, and they fight within the open grave. Dramatic gestures convey the consternation of the king, queen, and attendant clergy. Strong tonal contrasts convey Delacroix's Romantic visual response to a subject concerned with anger, sorrow, and guilt stirred by tragic loss. In the related print, details were tightened to clarify the narrative.
Technique/material:
Black chalk on tracing paper
Museum:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Credit:
Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
Releases:
Model: No - Property: No
Rights questions?
Image size:
2879 x 3952 px | 32.6 MB
Print size:
24.4 x 33.5 cm | 9.6 x 13.2 in (300 dpi)
Keywords: