1885
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Upon Awakening I Saw the Goddess of the Intelligible with Her Severe and Hard Profile is a 1885 by Odilon Redon, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A pale woman’s face floats in a dark, smoky space. Her sharp profile looks like it’s carved from stone, and her closed eyes suggest she’s dreaming—or maybe the dreamer is you. Redon made this during a time when he was obsessed with dreams and myths. He called these works his "noirs," meaning they were dark in both color and mood. The title comes from a line in a poem, but Redon never explained what it meant. That’s part of the fun—it’s up to you to decide. If you like this, look up *sfumato*, the technique that softens edges into smoke, like Leonardo da Vinci used in the *Mona Lisa*.
This series is one of many that Odilon Redon created throughout his career. Nearly two-thirds of his lithographs took the form of portfolios—prints connected conceptually by a theme or narrative and physically by a folder or binding. Such works were often dispersed over time, but Cleveland was fortunate to acquire several complete sets with their original covers during the 1920s. Dating from Redon’s early experimentation with lithography, Homage to Goya was intended as a tribute to 18th-century Spanish master Francisco de Goya, whose interest in dreams and the subconscious influenced Redon.…
This portfolio was published in an edition of 50, one of which Redon sent to poet Stéphane Mallarmé soon after Redon became a frequent participant in a literary salon held regularly at Mallarmé's home.
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 pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
