Cain and Abel
1886
Medium
etching on wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 18.9 x 12 cm (7 7/16 x 4 3/4 in.) sheet: 33 x 25.2 cm (13 x 9 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen
Accession Number
2006.57.27
Art Historical Context
Step into the shadowy world of Odilon Redon's *Cain and Abel* (1886), a etching on wove paper captures the biblical tale of fraternal rivalry and tragedy from Genesis. Measuring a intimate plate size of 18.9 x 12 cm, this print draws viewers into a dreamlike confrontation between the brothers, rendered with Redon's signature ethereal touch. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Department CG-E as a generous gift from Ruth Cole Kainen, it exemplifies the museum's rich collection of prints. Redon, a pioneering French Symbolist active in the late 19th century, often explored themes of mystery,...
About the Artist
Odilon Redon · 1840–1916
Odilon Redon (1840-1916) was a French Symbolist painter, printmaker, and pastellist whose visionary art bridged the 19th-century Symbolist movement and 20th-century Surrealism. Born Bertrand Redon in Bordeaux on April 20, 1840, he earned the nickname "Odilon" from his mother Odile. His father, who made his fortune in the Louisiana slave trade, conceived Odilon in New Orleans before the family retu...