Odilon Redon, Symbolic Head
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Mildred Andrews Fund, 1988.91 · The Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access (CC0)View original →
Odilon Redon

Symbolic Head

c. 1890

Current Collection

Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Medium
oil on paper mounted on canvas
Dimensions
53.3 × 38 cm
Status
In Museum Collection
Collect24 Art ID
C24-109589

One of Redon’s favorite themes was a head depicted in profile, sometimes separated from the body to symbolize the spirit released from the material world. It also suggests a metaphor for abandoning physical reality for the inner realm of dreams, fantasy, and poetic reverie. This painting conveys the idea of inward-turning vision by framing the head in a series of collapsing rectangles. Conservation analysis confirms that the figure is a woman wearing a helmet and holding a green staff in her right hand.

Provenance

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Mildred Andrews Fund, 1988.91

Registry history

  • c. 1890 — Recorded in the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

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Auction history

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