Delacroix - Abduction of Rebecca

Eugène Delacroix - The Abduction of Rebecca

1846. Oil on canvas. 

39 1/2 x 32 1/4 in.

(http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/438814)

Eugène Delacroix was born in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, France, on April 26, 1798. He received his artistic training in Paris and became known as a leading figure of the French Romantic era of the 19th century. Inspired by history, literature and exotic locales, Delacroix painted such famous works as "Liberty Leading the People" and "The Death of Sardanapalus." He died in Paris on August 13, 1863.

(http://www.biography.com/people/eugne-delacroix-40979)

Throughout his career, Delacroix was inspired by the novels of Sir Walter Scott, a favorite author of the French Romantics. This painting depicts a scene from Ivanhoe: the Jewish heroine Rebecca, who had been confined in the castle of Front de Boeuf (seen in flames), is carried off by two Saracen slaves commanded by the covetous Christian knight Bois-Guilbert. The contorted, interlocking poses and compacted space, which shifts abruptly from the elevated foregound to the fortress behind, create a sense of intense drama. Apart from the still life at lower left, the only element of calm is Rebecca herself.

(http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/438814)

This piece uses a dark value to create a musty, dramatic mood. It uses movement in the form of the action-packed scene to create a further sense of excitement.

The Abduction of Rebecca is featured here to highlight the occurrence of event-specific fear. Most would be terrified of an abduction, but curiously, Rebecca looks rather unperturbed. Still, our fears fill in her for lack of them in this intense scene.