The Education of Achilles

Eugène Delacroix French

Not on view

The young Achilles, hero of Greek mythology, rides on the back of the centaur Chiron in this sketch for the library of the Palais Bourbon. The pair bound away from the viewer as Chiron instructs Achilles in the art of the hunt. The heavily reworked contour lines show Delacroix’s search for the desired form. The artist’s indication of several possible positions for the centaur’s legs contributes to the sense of movement in the drawing.

The Education of Achilles, Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798–1863 Paris), Graphite

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