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Fear

1866

Odilon Redon

(French, 1840–1916)
Culture
France, 19th century
Medium
etching
Support
Cream laid paper
Watermarks
MBM
Measurements
Image: 11 x 20 cm (4 5/16 x 7 7/8 in.); Platemark: 14 x 22.3 cm (5 1/2 x 8 3/4 in.); Sheet: 27.4 x 35.1 cm (10 13/16 x 13 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1998.69
Catalogue raisonné
Mellerio 6, Harrison 7
State
III/III
Edition
first edition (edition of 30)
Impression
presentation proof
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?

An impression of this etching was exhibited in a group of Odilon Redon's work at the 1913 Armory Show, which introduced the artist's work to American audiences.

Description

Odilon Redon used parallel lines of varying density throughout this etching to enhance its tonal and emotional darkness. The subject was inspired by Johann Wolfgang Goethe's 1782 poem describing a father who discovered his child's death after a cold and windy nighttime journey. The figures and the man's white cape contrast dramatically with the scale and tone of their surroundings. Redon made few etchings during his career. This one was a gift to his friend, French art critic and novelist Joris-Karl Huysmans, and features a personalized dedication at the bottom of the sheet.
A horizontally oriented etching in black ink with dense cross-hatching features a rocky mountain landscape. Facing right in the lower left foreground, a small rider on a rearing creature sits against steep, shadowed hills. In the distance, sheer vertical cliffs rise under a sky filled with parallel horizontal lines. Below the rectangular image, a green handwritten inscription sits in the bottom margin.

Fear

1866

Odilon Redon

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

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