Sacred Cheeze

A Vacation on a Canvas

 

I took a vacation and visited "The Sultan of Morocco and his entourage", a nice little painting by Eugene Delacroix in 1845.  And here is what I found:


Overall:
In the foreground a Sultan sits on his horse, a servant close by with an unusual parasol for his master.  The horse has dark tones, with the posture of its head making it reminiscent of a skull.  It stands out, as most of the other tones in the rest of the picture are earthen.  Surrounding the sultan are what appears to be either other important people or his servants, which balance each other out in a fashion.  It is of note, however than the sultan's clothing is relatively simple compared to the soldiers in the foreground.
The background is a clear blue sky behind what may be Morocco.  There are plants growing on the top and side of the wall, with some fissures running here and there, giving an aged look.  The entrance to the city is balanced with a higher concentration of green (plants) on the opposite side of the panting.  Many of what appear to be soldiers are standing in front of the walls to Morocco in the middle ground.  What appear to be either spears or muskets in their right hands and wearing red embellishments in the form of various sashes, turbans and pointed hats.  However behind the soldiers there is what appears to be what could be perhaps average citizens of the day, hoping to get a glimpse of the Sultan.

Color and Form:
Many of the colors used are of earthen tone.  Many figures in the background are only able to be recognized as people is either due to the red hats they wear or the contrast of their clothing to the color of their faces.  It is interesting how many people in the foreground and some in the middle ground do not have this sort of contrast.
The Sultan makes a central figure, however his "entourage" surrounds him.  The expressions generally seem to be than of perhaps exasperation, as if the formalities here are a bother.
The Sultan's horse makes a most striking figure, because unlike its surroundings, it has a blue color to it, which not only helps draw the attention to the figure of the sultan, but combined with the horse's posture seemed to give it a supernatural look.
It is of note that the figure leading the horse is looking right at the viewer, as if this were a picture -breaking the fourth wall, as it were.
A trapezoid is created at the hooves of the sultan's steed, creating a sense that this was perhaps a pose especially for this painting.  Also, a triangle is formed between the sultan's parisol and the sultan himself.  In the background the Walls of Morocco  make a border between the sky and the ground, in a skewed rectangular fashion.