A leading French Romantic painter whose use of rich, sensual colours influenced the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Following the Romantic tradition, Delacroix portrayed exoticized Moroccan subjects and dramatic scenes from history and contemporary events. His frenzied brushwork conveyed tragedy and emotion. Among his most well-known paintings is Liberty Leading the People, 1830.

A painter, graphic artist, and filmmaker, Duncan worked across figurative and abstract styles in a prolific career that spanned the twentieth century. While part of the graphics department of the National Film Board of Canada in the 1940s, she met her partner Audrey McLaren, with whom she would form the experimental film company Dunclaren Productions. During the Second World War she documented industrial production related to the war effort in Montreal.