Orphan Girl at the Cemetery

The Orphan Girl at the Cemetery (also known as Young Orphan Girl in the Cemetery) (c. 1823 or 1824) is a painting by the French artist Eugène Delacroix. Believed to be a preparatory work in oil for the artist's later Massacre at Chios, Orphan Girl at the Cemetery is nevertheless considered a masterpiece in its own right. An air of sorrow and fearfulness emanates from the picture, and tears well from the eyes of the grief-stricken girl as she look... more

The Orphan Girl at the Cemetery (also known as Young Orphan Girl in the Cemetery) (c. 1823 or 1824) is a painting by the French artist Eugène Delacroix. Believed to be a preparatory work in oil for the artist's later Massacre at Chios, Orphan Girl at the Cemetery is nevertheless considered a masterpiece in its own right. An air of sorrow and fearfulness emanates from the picture, and tears well from the eyes of the grief-stricken girl as she looks apprehensively upward. The background depicts her melancholy; in the dimness of the sky and the abandoned laying-ground. The girl's body language and clothing evoke tragedy and vulnerability: the dress drooping down from her shoulder, a hand laid weakly on her thigh, the shadows above the nape of her neck, the darkness at her right side, and the cold and pale coloring of her attire. All these are combined to emphasize a sense of loss, of unreachable hope, her isolation, and the absence of any means of help, as she is also looking on toward... less