In his painting “Compassion”, Puvis de Chavannes depicted a hopeless fallen woman (symbolizing repentance) meeting a nun (symbolizing mercy). The immobility of the poses and the solemnity of the images in “Compassion” are achieved through the simplicity and laconic nature of the artistic language. 

Puvis de Chavannes does not try to moralize through his art but primarily conveys his mood in colors and lines. His paintings contain motifs that will later constitute an entire concept of symbolist art. One of them is meaningful silence. Puvis de Chavannes tries to comprehend the state of nature and the human soul that is hidden from ordinary eyes. Despite the small size, this painting is perceived as a monumental artwork resembling a fresco. Puvis de Chavannes was one of the first artists of his time to try to bring monumental easel painting back to life. This is how he created his panel “History of St. Genevieve” for the Parisian Panthéon. “Compassion” is also linked with this trend. 

The artist is known to have said: