He was born Ignace Henri Jean Théodore Fantin-Latour in Grenoble, Isère. As a youth, he received drawing lessons from his father, who was an artist. In 1850 he entered the Ecole de Dessin, where he studied with Lecoq de Boisbaudran. After studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1854, he devoted much time to copying the works of the old masters in the Musée du Louvre. Although Fantin-Latour befriended several of the young artists who would later be associated with Impressionism, including Whistler and Manet, Fantin's own work remained conservative in style.
Whistler brought attention to Fantin in England, where his still-lifes sold so well that they were "practically unknown in France during his lifetime". In addition to his realistic paintings, Fantin-Latour created imaginative lithographs inspired by the music of some of the great classical composers.
In 1875, Henri Fantin-Latour married a fellow painter, Victoria Dubourg, after which he spent his summers on the country estate of his wife's family at Buré, Orne in Lower Normandy, where he died on 25 August 1904.
This is part 8 of a 13-part series on the works of Henri Fantin-Latour. For earlier works see parts 1 - 7 also.
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| 1885 Roses oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1885 White Roses in a Vase oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1885c Still Life with White Pinks in a Glass Vase oil on canvas 34.6 x 32.4 cm Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA |
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| 1885 Sara the Bather lithograph 23.6 x 15 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1885 The Evocation of Erda lithograph Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio |
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| 1886 Siegfried: Act III, Evocation of Erda lithograph 23.1 x 14.8 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1885 The Fairy of the Alps lithograph Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio |
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| 1886 A Large Bouquet of Roses oil on canvas 52.5 x 49.5 cm Private Collection |
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| 1886 Flowers in a Bowl oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1886 Immortality lithograph 22.8 x 15 cm ( image ) Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio |
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| 1886 Love Scene from Act III of "Lohengrin" lithograph National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC |
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| 1886 Portrait of Léon Maître oil on canvas 131.5 x 98.5 cm Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA |
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| 1886 Roses oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1886 Roses oil on canvas |
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| 1886 Still Life: Peaches in a Glass Dish oil on canvas 26 x 32.4 cm Private Collection |
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| 1886 Still Life: Pink and Red Roses oil on canvas 39 x 40 cm The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford, UK |
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| 1886 Tannhäuser oil on canvas 86.4 x 103.3 cm Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio |
1895 The Muse
This lithograph is one of a number
Fantin-Latour made on the theme of artistic inspiration and the muse. He
created portraits of famous composers, including Wagner and Berlioz, showing
them in the act of ‘Composing.’ They were often accompanied by a female muse.
Here the composer gazes up at his muse who hold a palm frond, a traditional
symbol of triumph. On the table there is an antique torch representing the
light of knowledge and understanding. His pen is also a symbol of knowledge and
creation, as well as having traditional associations with strength.
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| 1886 The Muse lithograph 22.9 x 15.2 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1895 L'Inspiration lithograph 26.8 x 220 cm |
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| n.d. Richard Wagner and his Muse charcoal and sylus on tracing paper 23.4 x 15.7 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris ©RMN |
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| 1886 The Rosy Wealth of June oil on canvas 70.5 x 61.6 cm The National Gallery, London |
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| 1886 The Rhinegold: Scene I, The Rhinemaidens lithograph 22.7 x 15 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1886 Truth lithograph 23.1 x 15.1 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1886c Parsifal, Act II: Evocation of Kundry lithograph 22.7 x 15 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1886c Rienzi, Act V: Rienzi's Prayer lithograph 22.6 x 14.7 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1886c The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, Act I: Walther and Eva Meet lithograph 22.7 x 14.7 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1886c Tristan and Isolde, Act II: Signal in the Night lithograph 22.1 x 14.5 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1887 Adolphe Jullien oil on canvas 160 x 160 cm Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
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| 1887c Studies for Portrait of Adolphe Jullien charcoal and grey wash with white highlights 31.2 x 47.9 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris ©RMN |
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| 1887 Capucines oil on canvas 38.6 x 44.4 cm Leeds Museums and Galleries, UK |
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| 1887 Flowers from Normandy oil on canvas 72 x 60 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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| 1887 Larkspur oil on canvas 55 x 46.7 cm Private Collection |
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| 1887 Mixed Flowers oil on canvas 35.5 x 28.2 cm Private Collection |
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| 1887 Pansies oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1887 Roses oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1887 The Lithograph lithograph Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio |
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| 1888 Apples in a Basket on a Table oil on canvas 44 x 56.5 cm Private Collection |
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| 1888 Benvenuto Cellini, Act III: The Casting of Perseus lithograph 22.7 x 15.4 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1888 Geraniums oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1888 Harold in Italy: In the Mountains lithograph 23 x 15.3 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1888 Larkspur oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1888 Lélio: The Aeolian Harp lithograph 23.1 x 15.1 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1888 Religions and Religion charcoal with stumping on canvas prepared with a white oil paint ground 45.1 x 37.5 cm |
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| 1888 Romeo and Juliet: Confiding in the Night lithograph 22.6 x 15.2 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1888 Roses and Lilies oil on canvas 59.7 x 45.7 cm The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| 1888 Roses in a Basket oil on canvas 61.5 x 74 cm Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada |
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| 1888 Roses in a Vase oil on canvas Private Collection |
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| 1888 Roses oil on canvas 38 x 40 cm Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, UK |
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| 1888 Roses oil on canvas 46.4 x 40.5 cm Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, UK |
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| 1888 Still life with Roses in a Vase oil on canvas 43.8 x 45.7 cm Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA |
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| 1888 Symphonie Fantastique: A Ball lithograph 23.4 x 15.5 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1888 The Capture of Troy: Act III, The Apparition of Hector, from Hector Berlioz's Opera "The Capture of Troy ( 1855-58 )" lithograph 24.3 x 16.4 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1888 The Childhood of Christ: Rest of the Holy Family lithograph 22.9 x 15.2 cm |
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| 1888 The Damnation of Faust: The Appearance of Marguerite lithograph 23.2 x 15.4 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1888 The Damnation of Faust: The Appearance of Marguerite oil on canvas 96.2 x 63.5 cm |
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| 1888 The Infancy of Christ: The Repose of the Holy Family lithograph 23.1 x 15.3 cm ( image ) |
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| 1888 The Trojans at Carthage: Act III, Love Duet lithograph 22.9 x 15.3 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1888c Apotheosis lithograph 22.8 x 15.5 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1888c Beatrice and Benedict, Act I: Nocturne, from Hector Berlioz's Opera "Beatrice and Benedict ( 1862 )" lithograph 22.6 x 15.7 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1888c Tuba Mirum Spargens Sonum lithograph 23.5 x 15.5 cm ( image ) Art Institute of Chicago, IL |
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| 1889 Bouquet of Roses and Other Flowers oil on canvas Private Collection |