Pegasus and Bellerophon

Art Historical Context

Odilon Redon's *Pegasus and Beller* (ca. 1888) captures a mythical moment from Greek legend, where the hero Bellerophon rides the horse Pegasus, symbolizing triumph over chaos. Created during Redon's "Noirs" period—the artist's early mastery of brooding, monochromatic drawings—this work exemplifies French Symbolism. Redon (1840–1916), a visionary who shunned Impressionism's bright exteriors for inner dreams, infused mythology with ethereal mystery, bridging Romanticism and the fantastical visions that later bloomed in his color pastels. Rendered on buff papier bleuté (blue-tinted paper), the drawing employs charcoal, water wash, white chalk, conté crayon, and subtle highlighting by erasure. These techniques create dramatic contrasts: deep shadows evoke Pegasus's muscular form and Bellerophon's determined gaze, while soft washes and erasures lend a ghostly luminescence, as if emerging from mist. The paper's subtle tone enhances the otherworldly glow, a hallmark of Redon's innovative mixed-media approach that anticipated modern abstraction. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Robert Lehman Collection since 1975, this 21⅛ × 14⅜-inch drawing invites visitors to ponder humanity's aspiration toward the divine. Redon's fusion of ancient myth and psychological depth remains a touchstone for exploring the subconscious in art.

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...