Oilon Redon

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Odilon Redon was born in 1840 in France to a very successful family. Redon’s artistic talents were visible at a young age. Although he wanted to pursue an education in drawing, he switched to architecture in effort to appease his father; however, his inability to pass the entrance exams crushed any hopes of a career in architecture. Redon not only studied drawing, but he began to study sculpture, etching, and lithography. He took a break from his work to serve in the Franco-Prussian War and then moved to Paris, where he worked mainly with charcoal and lithography. Redon’s work also evolved to using oils and pastels. Unlike some artists, Redon became very well-known for his works during his lifetime. After a successful life and career, he died in 1916.

In 1889, Redon completed a lithograph entitled “Pegasus Captive.” The work is overall very dark and eerie. The Pegasus portrayed in the image is the darkest part of the work. It has its head tilted down, as if surrendering or it could be in sadness. There is a faint suggestion of a wing, showing that this is not just any normal horse. It seems to be as if a man has the Pegasus in his possession; however, the body position of the man suggests fatigue or maybe again sadness. His head, too, is tilted downward so it is hard to tell what the man is actually feeling.

The lines of this lithograph are very sketchy, giving this work a very suggestive nature. The tone of the work seems to be darker, sadder, almost fatigued. The image goes from dark in the bottom corner to light near the top, but it is still difficult to tell if this is happening during the day or in the evening.

I enjoy this lithograph a great deal. I really like the sketchiness of it, and the suggestive lines that creates the tone of the work. I question, though, what the original drawing on the stone looked like, based on the work we have been doing in class and how drastically the works seem to change once printed onto the paper.