The Muses of Inspiration hail the Spirit, the Messenger of Light
File name: Les Muses
Title: The Muses of Inspiration hail the Spirit, the Messenger of Light
Creator/Contributor: Puvis de Chavannes, Pierre, 1824-1898 (artist); Boston Public Library (sponsor); Lanzel, Sheryl (photographer)
Genre: Paintings; Murals
Date created: 1893-1896 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 painting : mural, oil on canvas ; visible image 16 x 50 feet
Physical description notes: Canvases completed in Puvis' studio in Paris and shipped over to Boston for installation in 1895-96. Canvas applied to the walls of the grand staircase gallery using an adhesive technique called marouflage. The artist used encaustic wax in the painting process to make the surface appear matte and more fresco-like.
Summary/Abstract: Set against a background of soft green heather fields, a strikingly blue sea, and a golden pastel sky, nine, white-robed muses regard Enlightenment, a winged figure who stands above the doorway to Bates Hall, emitting rays of light from his hands. The swath of fabric was added to the figure by an artist's assistant after the panels arrived in Boston, as his nudity was not widely accepted. Also pictured in this panel are the figures of Study (left of the doorway, holding a tablet) and Contemplation (right of the doorway, with her finger to her head in thought).
General notes: Title from Description of the Decorative Paintings by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.
Date notes: On May 25, 1893, the Trustees of the BPL contracted Pierre Puvis de Chavannes for mural work completed between 1893 and 1896. As the aging artist was reluctant to travel to Boston, he painted the panels on canvas in his Neuilly studio in France. The panels were then shipped over to the library; installation was completed in 1896.
Subjects: Goddesses; Gods
Collection: Mural Cycles at the Central Library, Copley Square
Location: Chavannes Gallery Murals: The Muses of Inspiration Hail the Spirit, the Messenger of Light
Rights: Copyright (c) Sheryl Lanzel
The Muses of Inspiration hail the Spirit, the Messenger of Light
File name: Les Muses
Title: The Muses of Inspiration hail the Spirit, the Messenger of Light
Creator/Contributor: Puvis de Chavannes, Pierre, 1824-1898 (artist); Boston Public Library (sponsor); Lanzel, Sheryl (photographer)
Genre: Paintings; Murals
Date created: 1893-1896 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 painting : mural, oil on canvas ; visible image 16 x 50 feet
Physical description notes: Canvases completed in Puvis' studio in Paris and shipped over to Boston for installation in 1895-96. Canvas applied to the walls of the grand staircase gallery using an adhesive technique called marouflage. The artist used encaustic wax in the painting process to make the surface appear matte and more fresco-like.
Summary/Abstract: Set against a background of soft green heather fields, a strikingly blue sea, and a golden pastel sky, nine, white-robed muses regard Enlightenment, a winged figure who stands above the doorway to Bates Hall, emitting rays of light from his hands. The swath of fabric was added to the figure by an artist's assistant after the panels arrived in Boston, as his nudity was not widely accepted. Also pictured in this panel are the figures of Study (left of the doorway, holding a tablet) and Contemplation (right of the doorway, with her finger to her head in thought).
General notes: Title from Description of the Decorative Paintings by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.
Date notes: On May 25, 1893, the Trustees of the BPL contracted Pierre Puvis de Chavannes for mural work completed between 1893 and 1896. As the aging artist was reluctant to travel to Boston, he painted the panels on canvas in his Neuilly studio in France. The panels were then shipped over to the library; installation was completed in 1896.
Subjects: Goddesses; Gods
Collection: Mural Cycles at the Central Library, Copley Square
Location: Chavannes Gallery Murals: The Muses of Inspiration Hail the Spirit, the Messenger of Light
Rights: Copyright (c) Sheryl Lanzel