SOURCE: Parsons, C. R. “Eugene Delacroix and Literary Inspiration.” University of Toronto Quarterly 33 (1964): 164-177.

In the following essay, Parsons examines the relationship between literature and painting, often left unexamined by artists themselves, with the notable exception of Delacroix.

The problem of the relationship between literature and painting, although it has attracted for a long time the attention of scholars and has led to interesting research, still remains a profitable field of investigation. Unfortunately, artists and men of letters are often reluctant to admit how much they owe to one another. An exception is Eugène Delacroix, who lived from 1798 to 1863. His case affords us by far the best opportunity for re-examining the problem under consideration. For Delacroix in addition to being a great painter was also a prolific writer and in his literary works he not only admits openly his debt to literature but also devotes much attention...