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Maurice Denis

Life Becomes Precious, Discreet, plate eleven from Love

1898, published 1899
Lithograph in yellow, green, pale pink, and gray on light ivory wove paper
28.5 × 40.7 cm (11.2 × 16 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

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.

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