Art Of The Day

An Orphan Girl in the Graveyard (Eugéne Delacroix)


















In this piece, Eugéne Delacroix puts to use the power of expression. He brings out the essence of the human face that puts it above all other subjects: the power of facial expression. It is apparent that the you orphan girl, is the main subject of the painting. She appears to be poor, her face seems dirty, but she is still beautiful. She is in a graveyard, possibly to visit her dead parents, but we can see an apparent conflict in the image. Her image is sharply emphasized through the division between her face and the background, which appears to be quite a distance away. Her face has the most memorable expression, not that of a sad orphan, but one of a frightened and aware person. Her eyes are peering above, gleaming in the light, and wide open in horror. Her face is turned away from the viewer, as if she is coming towards us, but something else has caught her attention, something unseen through the borders of the painting. Her mouth is opened, naturally, in terror, to create an overall appearance that are indescribable through simple words. We can sense the tension in the picture, and see it in her neck. This piece is an unforgettable example of the power of the human face.