Sleep
1898
Medium
Lithograph on Imperial Japan paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 1/16 x 9 7/8 in. (30.6 x 25.1 cm) Image: 4 13/16 x 4 15/16 in. (12.3 x 12.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
Accession Number
28.14.2 (2-2)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Odilon Redon's *Sleep* (1898) is a delicate lithograph on Imperial Japan paper, capturing Symbolist master's fascination with dreams and the ethereal. Printed in subtle grayscale tones, the small image (just under 5 inches square) depicts a serene female figure in repose, evoking introspection and the subconscious—a hallmark of Redon's work during the fin-de-siècle era. As a leader in Symbolism, Redon moved beyond realism to explore fantasy and spirituality, often through prints like this one, which he called his "noirs" for their moody, charcoal-like effects. Lithography suited Redon's techn...
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...