Artwork Page for The Chimera with Green Eyes Turns, Bays

Details / Information for The Chimera with Green Eyes Turns, Bays

Series Title: The Temptation of Saint Anthony (First Series)

The Chimera with Green Eyes Turns, Bays

1888

Odilon Redon

(French, 1840–1916)
printed by

Becquet

(French)
publisher

Edmond Deman

View all records in artwork set
Culture
France, 19th century
Medium
lithograph
Support
China paper; wove paper
Credit Line
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1927.477.8
Catalogue raisonné
Mellerio 90
State
I/I
Edition
edition of 60 (58 printed)
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Publisher Edmond Deman commissioned this portfolio after he saw an 1886 exhibition of Redon's work in Brussels, Belgium.

Description

This portfolio is one of three made by Odilon Redon inspired by avant-garde writer Gustave Flaubert’s novel The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1874). Captivated by the book’s fantastical account of moralizing tests encountered by a hermit in the desert, Redon executed charcoal drawings and attempted to evoke that medium’s dense blackness in his lithographs. Based on the text’s darkly imaginative tone rather than its actual content, the works in this series present invented monsters and figures in otherworldly settings with jarring tonal variations. Although Redon felt that the prints effectively translated the surreal universe of his source material, they were largely misunderstood in his own time.
A vertically oriented print suggests a creature with dense, scratching strokes against a mottled gray background. To the right, a horse-like head tilts back with its mouth open, while a pale, feathery wing curves from the central black form toward a rocky patch below. Ink blotches and heavy shading contrast with the light paper, revealing texture. Text is visible in the bottom margin.

The Chimera with Green Eyes Turns, Bays

1888

Odilon Redon, Becquet, Edmond Deman

(French, 1840–1916), (French)
France, 19th century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork