Arabs of Oran

This painting was exhibited at the Salon of 1835. Delacroix’s journey to North Africa in the first half of 1832 provided him with invaluable experiences for the development of his art. It is indicated that the composition of this work is derived from the sketches that he made on his sketchbooks during this journey. Delacroix traveled eastward from Tangier through the Mediterranean, and when visiting Oran and Alger, he might have sketched their local manners and customs. Oran is a large port town where has casbahs (citadels) and mosques which are full of exotic moods. The pencil study of the same composition as this work is in the Graphic Art collection of Albertina Museum, Vienna, and the etching version whose composition is opposite is also well-known.