It was a Religious Mystery, plate four from Love

Description

These 12 prints come from Love, a series of color lithographs that form a disjointed narrative about a woman who experiences love, although it is unclear if she is falling in love with a man, nature, or her faith. Each soft and dreamlike image is paired with a caption of fragmented poetry that serves as its title, but these phrases do not directly describe their corresponding images. Maurice Denis, who was also a writer, crafted these puzzling yet evocative captions to add layers of meaning through the interplay of text and image.

It was a Religious Mystery, plate four from Love

Maurice Denis

1898, published 1899

Accession Number

117216

Medium

Lithograph in yellow, reddish brown, and slate blue on light ivory wove paper

Dimensions

Image: 41.5 × 29 cm (16 3/8 × 11 7/16 in.); Sheet: 53 × 41.3 cm (20 7/8 × 16 5/16 in.)

Classification

lithograph

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

John H. Wrenn Memorial Collection