Mephistopheles in the Air
1828
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1828
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Mephistopheles in the Air is a 1828 ink by Eugène Delacroix, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a winged figure flying over a dark, spiky cityscape. The creature has a human-like face with horns and sharp features, and its body blends into bat-like wings. Below, buildings with pointed roofs loom under a smoky sky. The artist used loose, sketchy lines to make the scene feel dramatic and fast-moving. The city looks like a nightmare version of a real place, but we don’t know which one. Next, check out lithography to see how this print was made.
