Pegasus and Bellerophon
Odilon Redon, ca. 1888
About this artwork
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.