The Patron Pass Tour of the exhibit, Louis Janmot. The Poem of the Soul, was led by Servane Dargnies-de Vitry, Curator of Paintings at Musée d’Orsay, on a quiet Monday morning

Begun in Rome in 1835 and completed in 1881, The Poem of the Soul is the crowning achievement of the Lyonese artist Louis Janmot (1814-1892), a pictorial and literary work all in one. In 34 compositions accompanied by a long poem, it illustrates a soul’s initiatory journey on Earth.

Image: Louis Janmot (1814 – 1892) Le Poème de l’âme. Le Passage des âmes, vers 1838-1845. Huile sur toile ; 112,6 x 145,5 cm. Lyon, musée des Beaux-Arts. Don des héritiers de l’artiste, 1968. Image © Lyon MBA - Photo Alain Basset