Andromeda 1852

Eugène Delacroix painted this Andromeda, using oil on canvas. Delacroix, of course, was a virtuoso with his chosen medium, so it's easy to take the material for granted. But think for a moment about the sheer materiality of oil paint. Pigments ground into linseed or walnut oil, applied to a woven support. Here, the artist doesn't just represent Andromeda, but evokes her very flesh, as strokes of pigment suggest the texture and color of skin. He also hints at the grim reality of her situation, bound in chains, by dragging the paint to produce the feeling of imprisonment. In his hands, then, these traditional materials and methods become much more than just a means of depiction. They're integral to the painting's emotional impact, collapsing the distance between image and viewer. Delacroix's painting is a powerful reminder that materials and making are never neutral; they're always loaded with cultural and emotional significance.