A white-toned, blocklike sculpture with rough areas and three highly polished nude figures emerging from the rough portions. In front, a mournful man and woman grasp tightly at each other's hands while from behind, another figure buries his head in his own crossed arms, the woman's upturned hand holding onto them.

The Solitude of the Soul

Museum collection

Museum work by Lorado Taft

Art Institute of Chicago

Thread 53990

Spiritual Elevation

Where the original lives

Art Institute of Chicago

The original is held by the Art Institute of Chicago and is not for sale. This piece is shown for reference — no edition of it is offered.

See the work in the Art Institute of Chicago collection

Curator’s note

Lorado Taft (Modeled in plaster 1901; sculpted in marble 1914) from Chicago. Held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago and released into the public domain, offered here as a museum-quality edition within the spiritual thread.

Details

Artist: Lorado Taft (American, 1860–1936)
Date: Modeled in plaster 1901; sculpted in marble 1914
Medium: Marble
Dimensions: 231.2 × 129.6 × 105.5 cm · 91.0 × 51.0 in
Origin: Chicago
Collection: Friends of American Art Collection

Placing a spiritual elevation work

Devotional images, mandalas, temple architecture, pilgrimage — work made to be looked at for a long time rather than glanced at. This thread asks the most of its placement: a wall of its own, light that changes through the day, and nothing competing beside it.

Direction: North-east — the quarter reserved for the sacred
Rooms: Prayer rooms · Meditation spaces · Quiet corners · Entrance thresholds

See the whole thread

Provenance & rights

Source collection: Art Institute of Chicago. Friends of American Art Collection. Public domain (CC0). Shown here for reference, with full attribution to the artist and holding institution. No edition of this work is offered.