The Chariot of Apollo
Odilon Redon
French, 1840–1916
c. 1912
An oil-on-canvas dreamscape by Odilon Redon that reimagines Apollo’s chariot as a poetic, symbolic procession of butterflies, curling worms and ghostly figures, aiming to make private dreams and inner myth visible.
You notice first the soft, misty turquoise atmosphere and pastel washes, then the luminous cloud with small, uncanny apparitions and a large, translucent butterfly poised on a sinuous, fleshy form—an image that feels both whimsical and uncanny.
A late Symbolist work that turns a classical subject into intimate, subconscious mythology, helping shift modern art toward the poetic language of dreams and images later taken up by Surrealism.
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
39 1/4 x 29 1/2" (99.7 x 74.9 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of The Ian Woodner Family Collection
Accession
223.2000
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
