The Barque of Dante

The Barque of Dante was produced by Delacroix in 1822. This is an oil on canvas and was promoted in the Salon. This painting is somewhat based on the event's taken from the eighth canto of Dante's Inferno. This example of artwork shows how the painting style is moving away from neo-classicism. The painting is filled with action from the choppy waves to the unknown world around them. These are themes from the romantic period that are showcased in respect to the sublime. There is a lot of unknown territories, and the infinite greatness is in fact scary. The subjects are on a rickety boat sailing past the City of the Dead on the River Styx. The tormented souls show a great contrast to the two poets, Dante and Virgil. The use of red is adding a vibrancy to the painting that can help create excitement. This is very much a product of the romantic period because this influence to evoke emotion was a break from the unemotional artwork of the Neoclassical period that focused on the style of ancient Greek and Roman art.