Une femme revêtue du Soleil (A woman clothed with the sun)
1899
Medium
lithograph in black on chine collé
Dimensions
overall: 28.9 x 23 cm (11 3/8 x 9 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.7369
Art Historical Context
Odilon Redon's *Une femme revêtue du* (A Woman Clothed with the Sun), created in 1899 draws its evocative title from the Book of Revelation in the Bible depicting a mystical figure symbolizing divine femininity, apocalypse, or cosmic mystery. As a leading Symbolist artist, Red masterfully blended dreamlike fantasy with spiritual introspection during the fin-de-siècle era, a time when artists sought to evoke emotions and the unseen realms beyond realism. This lithograph captures his early mastery of monochromatic "noirs"—haunting black-and-white works that preceded his vibrant pastels and oils....
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...