1896
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
I Saw a Flash of Light, Large and Pale is a 1896 by Odilon Redon, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A pale, glowing orb hangs in a dark sky, like a moon seen through fog. Below it, faint shapes—maybe trees, maybe faces—fade into shadow. Redon made this after reading a ghost story. The book’s eerie mood mattered more than clear scenes, so he left things vague. The light feels like a memory you can’t quite hold. If you like this dreamy style, look up sfumato—a technique where edges blur, softening the world.
Odilon Redon was a voracious reader of contemporary literature, and such texts often influenced his art. This series was inspired by The Haunted and the Haunters, an 1859 novel by British writer Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Redon’s prints capture the book’s mysterious tone and emphasis on the supernatural through vague but evocative imagery that sometimes borders on abstraction. By this time a seasoned expert in lithography, the artist collaborated with master printer Auguste Clot. Their combined technical skills allowed for the rich tonal variation seen here, made by turning Redon’s lithographic…
One of Redon's greatest patrons, the occultist René Philipon, commissioned this portfolio as a supplement for his French translation of Bulwer-Lytton's The Haunted and the Haunters.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Born Bertrand-Jean Redon on 20 April 1840 in Bordeaux, the artist adopted the name Odilon from his mother, Marie-Odile.
See the richer artist page
