"A comprehensive introduction to and ... reappraisal of the life and works of one of the most influential artists of the nineteenth century. Delacroix was regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school ... Lee considers Delacroix's life and art within the context of his fascinating and tumultuous age in the years following the French Revolution and the rise of the British Empire, analyzing and explaining his artistic processes. All [his] major works ... are illustrated generously and explored in depth"-- Publisher's description.

Growing up with Napoleon : 1798-1822 -- Confession and massacre : early Romanticism -- Dandified Anglophilia : England and English culture -- From outcast to patriot : the 1827 Salon and the 1830 Revolution -- Eastern delights : the trip to North Africa and its aftermath -- Great walls to cover : official Romanticism -- The imagination and its mysteries : literature, music and art -- Creative seclusion : the final years, 1848-63 -- The liberation of colour : Delacroix's legacy.