Parsifal, Act II; Evocation of Kundry c. 1886

Henri Fantin-Latour's "Parsifal, Act II; Evocation of Kundry" is a black and white etching from c. 1886. This evocative image captures a scene from Richard Wagner's opera "Parsifal," depicting Kundry, a character cursed by her desire for the knight Parsifal, in a moment of despair. The artist uses strong contrasts of light and dark to emphasize the emotional intensity of the scene, rendering Kundry in stark light against a shadowy background as she falls to her knees. This dramatic portrayal reflects the operatic tradition of depicting emotional states through visual imagery and highlights Fantin-Latour's talent for conveying the drama of literary and theatrical subjects in his art.