Quasimodo
Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)
c. 1875–80
Medium
charcoal with fabricated black chalk and touches of white and gray gouache on gray wove paper
Dimensions
{"sheet":{"height":0.368,"width":0.329}}
Classification
Drawing
Department
Drawings
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Accession Number
2020.63
Tags
male
About this artwork
The nineteenth-century French artist Odilon Redon was known for works defined by their darkness—both the black materials he used and the mood of his fantastical themes. This drawing depicts Quasimodo, the protagonist of Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but does not directly relate to the text. Redon layered and rubbed away charcoal marks to create the indeterminate space behind the pair.