Who painted Selim and Zuleika?

Selim and Zuleika was painted by Eugène Delacroix in 1857.

Where can I see Selim and Zuleika?

Selim and Zuleika is held by Kimbell Art Museum.

What movement is Selim and Zuleika?

Selim and Zuleika is associated with French Romanticism.

Artwork

Selim and Zuleika

Eugène Delacroix , 1857

Selim and Zuleika is an oil painting by the French Romanticist artist Eugène Delacroix. It dates from 1857 and is held in the collection of the Kimbell Art Museum.

About this work

Overview

The work exemplifies Delacroix’s commitment to vivid coloration and dynamic composition, hallmarks of his contribution to French Romanticism.

Eugène Delacroix created the oil painting *Selim and Zuleika* in 1857. Executed in his mature period, the canvas captures a moment of heightened tension between two figures on a craggy shoreline, their gestures and expressions suggesting an imminent conflict. The work exemplifies Delacroix’s commitment to vivid coloration and dynamic composition, hallmarks of his contribution to French Romanticism.

Subject & Meaning

The scene presents a man in a red coat and white attire reaching for the wrist of a woman who holds a sword, both positioned on a stony beach beneath a cliff and sea. The man's face conveys alarm, while the woman's demeanor remains impassive, evoking a narrative of confrontation or reluctant alliance drawn from a romantic literary source.

Technique & Style

Delacroix employs thick, expressive brushwork and a saturated palette that emphasizes contrast between the warm reds of the male figure and the softer pinks and blues of the female dress. The composition is arranged diagonally, guiding the eye across the turbulent shoreline and enhancing the sense of movement, a method influenced by Rubens and the coloristic traditions of Venetian masters.

History & Provenance

Painted in the late 1850s, *Selim and Zuleika* reflects Delacroix’s continued exploration of literary themes after his earlier successes. While specific ownership records are sparse, the work has been catalogued among the artist’s later oil paintings and is referenced in scholarly surveys of his Romantic output, confirming its place within his established oeuvre.

Artist & collection

Artist

Eugène Delacroix

Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( DEL-ə-krwah, -⁠KRWAH; French: ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist who was regarded as the leader of the French Romantic school.