. . . A Long Chrysalis, the Color of Blood (. . . une longue chrysalide couleur de sang)
Odilon Redon
French, 1840–1916
1889
A haunting lithograph with chine appliqué in which Redon renders a saintly, sleeping human head perched on a coiled, chrysalis-like body to evoke a dream of spiritual transformation.
What first strikes you is the glowing halo around the bowed, peaceful face set against a dim, cathedral-like space and the unsettling contrast between that gentle head and the bulbous, wormlike form curled around a pedestal.
Working within Symbolism, Redon used printmaking to move beyond literal representation and to make visible inner states of the psyche and mystical metamorphosis, influencing how artists explored dreams and the unconscious.
Medium
Lithograph with chine appliqué
Dimensions
composition: 8 9/16 x 7 7/16" (21.8 x 18.9 cm); sheet: 16 15/16 x 13 7/16" (43 x 34.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. W. Murray Crane (by exchange)
Accession
113.1955
Palette
Exhibitions
