View of Beirut (1844)

Jules Coignet: View of Beirut

The Hammock (1844)

Gustave Courbet: The Hammock

Concert in the Galerie des Guise at Chateau d'Eu (1844)

Eugène Lami: Concert in the Galerie des Guise at Chateau d'Eu

Odalisque (1844)

François-Léon Benouville: Odalisque (alternate title: Esther)

The Bay of Naples (1844)

Léon Fleury: The Bay of Naples

Rigolette Seeks to Distract Herself During the Absence of Germain (1844)

Joseph-Désiré Court: Rigolette Seeks to Distract Herself During the Absence of Germain

Last Words of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (1844)

Eugène Delacroix: Last Words of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius

This painting depicts the last hours of the life of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, as Delacroix admired the Stoics and particularly Marcus Aurelius. The character is represented in the center of the painting as an old, sick man who grabs the arm of a young man dressed in red, namely his son Commodus (Lucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus). Commodus seems not to pay attention to what his father wants him to say and has a haughty look. Around them, Marcus Aurelius' philosopher friends who are present around the bed are portrayed as sad men dressed in black.

Thus, the painting represents the end of the Roman Empire. Delacroix, who was fascinated by the red color after his travel to North Africa in 1832, draws the viewer's attention to Commodus by garbing him in bright red. It appears that the painting has no moral aspect, as the message that Delacroix wanted to convey in this work remains unknown. [Wikipedia]