Mephistopheles Appearing to Faust 1828

Editor: This is Delacroix’s "Mephistopheles Appearing to Faust." It’s a striking print, very theatrical. All the objects crammed into the background feel symbolic somehow. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It's a powerful image, isn’t it? Delacroix is engaging with Goethe's Faust, a foundational text exploring ambition and its consequences. Consider the social anxieties around burgeoning capitalism when Goethe wrote. The insatiable desire for knowledge mirrors a hunger for power and wealth, often at the expense of others, especially women. Editor: So, you see Mephistopheles as representing those societal anxieties? Curator: Exactly. The drama in the composition reflects the turmoil of a society grappling with rapid change and moral compromise. Does that shift your reading of the work? Editor: It definitely adds a new layer. I'll never look at Faust the same way.