Tannhäuser
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From the museum
Tannhäuser, the male figure seated on the left, does not seem fully engaged in this merry scene. Among pale bodies and pastel hues, he alone is cast in shadow. The Wagner opera that inspired the painting centers on a struggle between profane and sacred love, and the tension between them appears embodied in the brooding Tannhäuser. As he will eventually return to reality, Tannhäuser, the singer in the lower left, is painted in dark tones. In contrast, his vision into another realm is evoked by the soft muted hues of Venus and her court.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0
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Details
- Maker
- Henri Fantin-Latour (French, 1836–1904)
- Date
- 1886
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 123.5 x 139.5 x 14 cm (48 5/8 x 54 15/16 x 5 1/2 in.); Unframed: 86.4 x 103.3 cm (34 x 40 11/16 in.)
- Place of origin
- France
- Held by
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · Not on view
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade
Image: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0
More by Henri Fantin-Latour
Shown in
- Paul Gauguin: Paris, 1889Oct 4, 2009 – Jan 18, 2010
- The Venetian TraditionNov 8, 1956 – Jan 1, 1957
- 19th and 20th Century French Art and Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. LoansJun 22, 1943 – Sep 1, 1943
- French Drawings and Watercolors from French Public and Private CollectionsJan 6, 1942 – Feb 15, 1942
- The Silver Jubilee ExhibitionJun 23, 1941 – Sep 28, 1941
