Eugene (Ferdinand Victor) Delacroix (1798 - 1863) France. Watercolor on Paper. Measure 14 3/4"in H x 7 1/2"in W and 20 1/2"in H x 13 1/2"in W with frame. Eugne Delacroix (1798-1863) was born into a family that profited from the French Revolution and participated in the social recovery (according to several sources Charles Maurice de Talleyrand was Delacroix biological father). From 1815 the young Delacroix took lessons from Pierre-Narcisse Gurin (1774-1833) and began studying at the cole Nationale Suprieure des Beaux-Arts a year later. Influenced by Thodore Gricault (1791-1824), Delacroix painted his work â€Å“Dante-Barke”, which was purchased by the state immediately after he first exhibited it in 1822. At the age of 24 he left the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and traveled to Morocco, where he was fascinated by the light, colors and foreign culture. Delacroix painted by order of the government but refused to commit himself to current art trends, which is why he was seen as a pioneer by the Impressionists, who also wanted to be free of the dominating Romanticism. His works are found in the most important museums worldwide, including the Louvre in Paris, the Wallace Collection in London and the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.