''The Picador'' is an 1832 watercolor painting by

Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...

, showing the 'tercio de pique' or third phase of a

bullfight Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

. It is held in the department of prints and drawings at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

with other drawings of bullfights by the same artist, notably ''Picador and Chuletillo'' (lead pencil, 1832). The work's small dimensions allowed him to compete with the sinister '' The Bullfights of Bordeaux'' by

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

. Alvaro Martinez-Novillo, ''Le Peintre et la Tauromachie'', Paris, Flammarion, 1988 (OCLC 636468048), p 88 Luigina Rossi-Bortolatto considers that the work's poses draw on the painter's ''

The Battle of Nancy ''The Battle of Nancy'' is an 1831 painting by Eugène Delacroix, showing the 1477 Battle of Nancy and the death of Charles the Bold.. It is now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy. Nancy's 'société royale des sciences, lettres et arts' sugg ...

'', painted the previous year. The man's simple gesture and the soft colours of the clothes are a major contrast with his paintings such as '' The Lion Hunt'' Eva Petrová, ''Delacroix, le dessin romantique'', Paris, Cercle d'Art, 1990 (), p 73

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Picador, The Watercolour paintings by Eugène Delacroix 1832 paintings Drawings in the Louvre Paintings in the Louvre by French artists Bullfighting in art