All About Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi by Eugene Delacroix

Title of Artwork: “Greece expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi”

Artwork by Eugene Delacroix

Year Created 1826

Summary of Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi

In 1826, French painter Eugène Delacroix created the oil painting Greece on the Ruins of Missolonghi (French: La Grèce sur les ruines de Missolonghi), which is presently housed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux.

During the Third Siege of Missolonghi in 1826, many residents of the city decided to attempt a mass breakout (sortie) in an effort to avoid food and epidemics following a nearly year-long siege. The attempt failed miserably, with the vast majority of Greeks being slaughtered as a result.

All About Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi

One of the painting’s main characters is a woman kneeling in prayer. When she stretches her arms out in a symbol of despair she is dressed in a traditional Greek attire with her chest exposed.

One of the victims’ fingers can be seen sticking out of the shattered concrete beneath her feet. Flags are being planted in the ground by a dark-skinned man, who symbolises the adversary, in the background.

Christianity is evident in the painting’s style. Yes, in fact “In the early centuries of Christianity, Greece adopts a prayerful mentality. The Immaculate Conception’s blue coat and white robe, typically assigned to Mary, support this connection here.

Traditional allegory tends to idealise the model, but this image avoids that tendency by processing the scene in a way that makes no allowance for the ideal.”

Information Citations

En.wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/.

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