The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Fear

Fear

1866
(French, 1840–1916)
France, 19th century
etching
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.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1998.69
Catalogue raisonné: Mellerio 6, Harrison 7
Location: not on view

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.
  • ?-1997
    H. M. Petiet [1894-1980; L. 5031], Paris
    1997
    (Hotel Drouot, Estampes modernes Henri M. Petiet, 13th sale, Paris, September 25, 1997, no. 157)
    ?-1997
    (Ian Mackenzie Fine Art, London, sold to the Print Club of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH)
    1997
    The Print Club of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    1997-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 stamped on verso
  • Estampes modernes Henri M. Petiet, treizième vente. Paris: Hotel Drouot, 1997. Lot 157. Mentioned and reproduced: no. 157
    Cleveland Museum of Art, “Painting by 18th-century Italian Master Gaetano Gandolfi among Works Added to CMA Collection,” March 24, 1998, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
  • Collecting Dreams: Odilon Redon. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 19, 2021-January 23, 2022).
    A Lasting Impression: Gifts of the Print Club of Cleveland. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 5-September 22, 2019).
    From Rembrandt to Rauschenberg: Recently Acquired Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17-November 26, 2000).
  • {{cite web|title=Fear|url=false|author=Odilon Redon|year=1866|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1998.69