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Melancholy

c. 1868
(French, 1840–1916)
France, 19th century
graphite on beige wove paper
Support: Beige wove paper (discolored)
Sheet: 32.1 x 22 cm (12 5/8 x 8 11/16 in.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1927.299
Catalogue raisonné: Wildenstein 576
Location: not on view
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Redon incorporated fantastical details into his mountainous landscape, including a small creature seen faintly directly above the woman and a profile that vaguely appears in the shadows next to her.

Description

Odilon Redon grew up near the massive Pyrénées mountains in southern France and their image recurred throughout his work. In a series of drawings made during the 1870s, Redon used the craggy surface and infinite reach of his native landscape to evoke a sense of solitude and isolation. The woman seen here, for example, leans forward and casts her eyes downward as if in resignation.
Melancholy

Melancholy

c. 1868

Odilon Redon

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

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