Parsifal
1892
Medium
lithograph
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1954.12.180
Art Historical Context
Odilon Redon's *Parsifal* (1892), a lithograph from the National of Art's Rosenwald, draws inspiration from Richard Wagner's groundbreaking opera of the same name, premiered a decade earlier. Redon, a leading figure in French Symbolism, was deeply influenced by Wagner's mystical themes of redemption, purity, and the Holy Grail quest. This print captures the opera's ethereal spirit through Redon's signature dreamlike imagery, blending fantasy with subtle psychological depth. As one of Redon's "noirs"—his masterful black-and-white works from the 1870s to 1890s—the lithograph exemplifies his inn...
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...