Religions and Religion
Medium
Charcoal, with stumping, on canvas prepared with a white oil paint ground
Dimensions
45.1 × 37.5 cm (17 13/16 × 14 13/16 in.)
Classification
charcoal
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
99525
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Fantin' s composition is inspired by Victor Hugo's 1880 poem "Religions and Religion." In one long section of the poem, the poet listens to voices emanating from clouds that discuss the nature and history of man's religions. The drawing served as a maquette , or model, for an illustration in the collected works of Victor Hugo (1802-1885), which was published by the French government after the poet's death.
About the Artist
Henri Fantin-Latour · 1836–1904
Ignace Henri Jean Théodore Fantin-Latour was born on January 14, 1836, in Grenoble, France, to portrait painter Théodore Fantin-Latour, who gave him his earliest drawing lessons. The family relocated to Paris in 1841, where in 1850, at age 14, he enrolled in the École de Dessin, studying under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, whose innovative memory-based method of drawing from observation profoundly ...