Eugéne Delacroix (French, 1798 – 1863) Street in Meknes, 1832 Oil on canvas, 18 x 25" Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery Elisabeth H. Gates and Charles W. Goodyear Funds, 1948

In January 1832, Count Charles de Mornay left for Morocco as the goodwill ambassador for the king of France. France had just taken over Algeria, Morocco's neighbor, and the king wanted to be on good terms with the Sultan of Morocco. The Count wanted to take an artist on his mission to record the events, and met Eugéne Delacroix (del-uh-kwah) through a mutual friend. Their trip lasted five months.

They arrived first in Algiers, Algeria, and had to wait for permission to travel to Meknes, where the Sultan of Morocco held his court. Delacroix kept a travel journal with notes and sketches to use in future paintings. After a number of weeks in Algiers, the invitation to Meknes finally arrived. No Westerner had ever seen the city, and Count de Mornay's group was given permission to walk around. Anyone who wanted to do so, however, such as Delacroix, had to hire an armed guard, since certain parts of the city were not safe for foreigners. Delacoix wrote of Meknes: "the picturesque abounds here. At every step there are ready-made pictures that would ensure the fortune and glory of twenty generations of artists."

Delacroix was fascinated by the attire and noble appearance of the inhabitants, as well as by the clear, strong light of the region. These interests are reflected in Street in Meknes. The quality of the North African sunlight is conveyed through the sharp contrasts between the brightness of the walls of the building and the darkness of the alcove. A composite of his impressions, the scene is primarily anecdotal, satisfying European curiosity about exotic peoples and places. The architecture with its Islamic-style arch and window, the pottery and textiles in the alcove, and the costumes of the people, give the viewer a glimpse into Moroccan culture.

The four figures represent a variety of ages and types: a young Islamic man is seated on the right, while a small boy and a Jewish girl stand to the left. An old Arab man sleeps in the alcove. These figures, along with certain objects he included, suggest Delacroix's feelings as he explored the city. The rifle hanging in the alcove, the large knife worn by the young man, and the curious and perhaps challenging facial expressions, might reflect the potential danger that required the use of a bodyguard.

— Mariann Smith

SUGGESTIONS FOR HANDS-ON AND RELATED ACTIVITIES

• It is easier to travel today than it was in the nineteenth century. Have students pretend that they want to visit Meknes. Use a map to locate Morocco, Meknes, and Buffalo. Have students devise a plan to get there (don't forget passports, shots, etc.). Then, have them do the same thing as if they lived in 1832, when Delacroix went to Meknes.
• Using a newspaper or magazine, have students find an article about a current event that involves a foreign country. Cut out the article and paste it onto a large sheet of white paper. Ask students to pretend that they are artists sent to document the event. Have them draw boxes around the article and fill them with illustrations of the scene.
• Delacroix was the first known Westerner to visit Meknes, and his paintings showed other people in Europe what it and its inhabitants looked like. Have students make up a new country (or planet), name it, and create a work of art that will describe it for the rest of the class. Before the artist explains his or her new place, let the class try to guess where it is, what it's called, and what it's like.
• Divide students into groups of five (four characters in the painting and the artist who faces them). Have each group act out the painting and write a dialogue for the characters. Their performance can include costumes, props, and even backdrops.