Pietà

In the beginning of the 1840s Delacroix made a mural in a Paris church depicting the deposition, with a group of people mourning over the deceased Jesus. In this 1850 oil painting he left out most of the characters, leaving only the corpse and the mourning Mary. The scene is commonly known as pietà.

The use of strong colours shows that Delacroix already painted in a less naturalistic style than at the start of his career.

Many 19th century artists admired and copied Delacroix' rough brushstroke. Among them was Vincent van Gogh, who would make a copy of this painting in his own style.