Delacroix Day

Thursday I was about to go out the door to see the Braque at the Grand Palais. It closes on the 6th. Instead I thought about the rainy day drawing I'd just done and that I needed to get back into Delacroix sketchbook mode - more fluid, looser drawings with writing plus using different mediums, like pencil mixed with brown ink and watercolor. I left a fat file of Delacroix sketches back in New York.

Off to the Louvre book store to see what books they had on Delacroix. Not much but they suggested visiting musée Eugene Delacroix in the 6th arrondissment.

This book was put out by Bibliotheque de l'Image. Sounds like a place but it's a publisher of art books.

Librairie Couleur du Temps on 24, rue Dauphine, 75006 is their outlet and they had one last copy. Hooray! Marked down to 10€ too.There are lots of treasures here. Cookbooks, gardening, history many marked down. I've been coming for ages.

Time to see some real Delacroix. The museum is hidden in a courtyard off Place de Furstenberg.

Open 9:30  - 5:00 pm Closed on Tuesdays

Up the stairs a young Delacroix awaits you.

He lived here so the museum has an intimate feel to it.

He lived so many places around Paris - a wall map sited with all his residences. I wish it was still so easy to find an artist’s garret.

There's a new exhibition on of recent donations, many from Delacroix's Moroccan sketchbooks, my favorites.

An absolutely gorgeous sepia ink drawing - fluid and very contemporary in feeling. A joy to behold.

Delacroix was a master at painting interiors too...

His painting atelier is all in deep garnet red.

A small oil of a costumed Arab in the same garnet reds.

A little quiet garden separates his atelier from the rest of the house.

"My garden is decidedly charming...The view of my little garden and the cheerful appearance of my studio always makes me happy."

Delacroix painted and drew lots of cats domestic and wild.

He'd no doubt be pleased to be see this resident kitten scampering from tree to bush in his garden.