A few years ago I read the beautiful journal of the french painter Eugene Delacroix. I absolutely loved it, and wrote down so many funny/inspiring quotes from it, both in notebooks for myself and in e-mails to friends. Well, recently I went to see the Delacroix exhibition at The National Gallery in London. and it totally refreshed my memory of his writings - so much so that I got out my (slightly battered) copy of his journal again and found all my notebooks, and re-reading them, I feel that I must share some of it here.
The journal begins in 1822, when Delacroix is in his 20s (about my age now!) and it finishes about two months before the end of his life, in 1863. It is really amazing that the journal covers such a large time span of Delacroix's life, so that we can see how he thinks at different stages of his life and how he changes over time, growing into old age. For me, I didn't know anything about Delacroix before I read his journal - I had only admired a couple of his most famous paintings - so it is very interesting to really get to know him throughout his whole adult life, and through this most intimate medium of his journal.
I would say that Delacroix was a true Romantic. He lived most of his life in Paris, painting and visiting galleries, admiring works of art and socialising with other artists and musicians. This Romantic attitude to life lies at the very essence of his character - lots of his philosophical viewpoints and the way in which he regards his own work, and the work of other people, stem from this. When we read about great artists or intellectuals, it can be quite intimidating, and often very pretentious - of course Delacroix was a man of genius - but probably the thing that struck me most when reading his journal, was that he was a totally normal person! He wrote a lot of his simple everyday life; how lazy he could be, his worries about his finances, his insecurities as a painter. 'I am going to be very short of money. I must work harder.' He also constantly writes advice for himself, on how he can better himself generally and be more productive with his work This reminds me of today's self-help books! I sort of find it reassuring that even a genius like Delacroix worried about these kinds of things.
I think there is a lot of inspiration to be taken from some of Delacroix's views on life, and on people. As I read the journal, I would constantly e-mail my friends with the interesting passages I had just read. One of my favourites is this:
Saturday, 15 May, during the course of the day
What moves men of genius, or rather, what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.
That was the complete journal entry for that time - it was a fleeting thought that ran through his mind. I love it, as often it seems like we must constantly come up with something new that hasn't been done before, that will give us individuality. But what if we just tried to make what we already have better? He used this word 'obsession' - I feel like he means that to really make a difference in this world you need something more than passions or love of what you do, you need to be obsessed with it, obsessed with making something better and improving on it. Then you could really do something, create something.
Delacroix also had some very definite opinions on the arts and how the art and artists should be treated, which I find very interesting. He had the idea that artists should be cultivated and supported, and that their work can constantly change and evolve with their changing minds, as our opinions about art can also change. Therefore it would be wrong to make judgments, but rather, we should be open to changing how we feel and not stubbornly stick to one idea. He said,
'To write learned papers on the arts, to grade and classify them, to make summaries and devise systems for teaching them systematically is a mistake, a waste of time, a false and useless idea.... a man is continually changing his point of view. Opinions must be modified from time to time, we never know a master well enough to speak finally and absolutely about him... there is more fruit to be harvested from a rich profusion of ideas, however contradictory, than from the neat, constricted, clipped pattern of a work'
'there is more fruit to be harvested from a rich profusion of ideas' is such a gorgeous sentence! In a way what he says here is connected with his idea that 'what has already been said is still not enough'. Because our minds and opinions constantly change, we can never be 'finished' with a project or study - I find this very inspiring as it is an idea that keeps us (artists, creators, everyone!) striving for more. Also, his view that art cannot be classified or summarised is something that I think is important to remember in today's highly competitive climate. We all have something different to offer, so how can we be 'graded' against each other?
Another important issue that Delacroix writes about, which I think is just as current today as it was 200 years ago, is somehow questioning why we do what we do - and if perhaps one major reason for doing what we do is that we are looking for some kind of reward, compliments or praise, to be told that we are 'the best'. He wrote some advice, which I think is for himself as much as it is for anyone else;
'We must be less eager in the pursuit of praises, and enjoy work for it's own sake, and for those delightful hours when we have the deep satisfaction of realising that our rest has been earned by a healthy tiredness that keeps our souls in good repair. This in turn affects the body and prevents the rust of the gears from tarnishing nobler sentiments.'
I think we could all relate to that wonderful feeling of really having 'earned' a rest because we did some great work, that satisfaction within ourselves, and I really do believe that this is more important than any compliments that we could get from other people. I also find this to be great advice, particularly for people trying to pursue the work that they really want to do, as the true reward will come from yourself.
As you'd expect, Delacroix wrote a lot about his work, the discoveries that he made with different painting techniques and colour observations, as well as his opinions on other artists. He heavily admired the work of Rubens and so a lot of the journal is about his feelings of the work this great artist and what he liked about it, also what he didn't like about other artists! I think, therefore, that this would be a hugely interesting aspect of the journal for artists or anyone interested in art. For those who are, there might be a lot more to take from it, although I can say that in any case it is enjoyable to read, even without a full understanding of that subject!
One last piece of inspiration that I want to mention, from which the title of this post is taken, is almost like Delacroix's maxime - one fundamental piece of advice for life.
'The older I grow the more certain I become in my own mind that truth is the rarest and most beautiful of all qualities... Be strong , simple and true... This is an aim for every moment of the day and it is always useful.'
It seems to me like to be 'strong, simple and true', would pretty much be the best thing to be, in any situation in life I can think of, and it is definitely something that I personally want to strive for!
In a conversation with a friend about this journal, my friend said that, although of course he agreed that Delacroix was a genius and everything, he found the writing in the journal to be a bit silly, as if Delacroix knew he was a genius whose journal would one day be published and read by the public. It is up to you what you want to make of this - it could be true. But you couldn't doubt that it is absolutely beautifully written, and very inspiring. He was not just a painter and an artist, but a wonderful writer too, and this should be remembered and enjoyed.
The exhibition of Delacroix is still on at The National Gallery, and I would definitely urge you to go, if you can, and also to read the journal. At the very least, it is an intimate, personal and delightful insight into this man's mind.
Labels: Culture
