The Shadow (L'Ombre)
1896-1900
Medium
brush and black ink on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 31.12 × 23.81 cm (12 1/4 × 9 3/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Woodner Collection, Gift of Dian Woodner
Accession Number
2014.137.12
Art Historical Context
Odilon Redon's *The Shadow (L'Ombre)*, created between 1896 and 1900, exemplifies French artist's mastery of Symbolism during his celebrated "noirs" period Redon, often called the "Prince of," produced haunting, fantastical works in black monochrome before transitioning to vibrant pastels and oils. This drawing captures the Symbolist ethos of evoking the subconscious, mystery, and the ethereal boundary between reality and imagination, fin-de-siècle fascination with the unseen forces of the psyche. Executed in brush and black ink on laid paper (31.12 × 23.81 cm), the work showcases Redon's 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...