a) Mephistopheles, also known as Harlequin (recto) b) Winged Figure with Serpent (verso)
Odilon Redon
French, 1840–1916
a) (c. 1877) b) (c. 1876)
A small, intimate pencil and colored conté crayon on paper study of Mephistopheles/Harlequin in which Redon pursues a theatrical, ambiguous figure that suggests both menace and whimsy.
The image seizes you with a sharply tilted profile and pointed cap rendered in confident hatchwork, while an exaggerated, claw‑like hand and looping, sketchy background lines create an uneasy, theatrical motion.
Executed during Redon’s symbolist period, the sheet exemplifies his turn from naturalism to dreamlike caricature, using spare, expressive line to open modern art toward psychological and fantastical subjects.
Medium
Pencil and colored conté crayon on paper
Dimensions
6 5/8 x 5" (16.8 x 12.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of The Ian Woodner Family Collection
Accession
280.2000.a-b
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
