Art Institute of Chicago

Tannhäuser: Venusberg

Henri Fantin-Latour

Date: 1876
Medium: Lithograph in black with scraping on stone on grayish-ivory chine laid down on thick ivory wove paper
Culture: France
Department: Prints and Drawings
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago

Richard Wagner's opera Tannhaüser was first interpreted by Henri Fantin-Latour in 1862. This second revised version of Venusberg was Fantin-Latour's first attempt at transfer lithography, a printing method in which the artist's drawing is transferred directly onto a lithographic stone. Here, Tannhaüser is depicted in Venus's realm of sensual delights. Nymphs dance to the music of a flute player, and Venus reclines upon Tannhaüser's lap, gazing passionately into his eyes.

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