ABSTRACT
Eugene Delacroix had ambitions to become a writer, in his youth; after completing two unpublished novels and a play; he turned to painting but continued to write occasional articles and filled his Journal and notebooks with fragmentary passages. In 1824, Delacroix reminded himself of his intention to write a piece on the differences between the various forms of art: how, music relies more on formal qualities than on its subject whereas in painting, the contrary is true. A key to the conflicting claims of the two dramatists presented itself to Delacroix during a solitary walk in the forest at Champrosay in May 1853. Delacroix's defence of the finished work, taken out of context, might seem surprisingly close to the viewpoint of those who criticized him for not finishing his paintings as carefully as did Ingres and Delaroche; but the argument did not lead Delacroix towards this conclusion.
