1896
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
La Vieille: Que Crains-tu? Un large trou Noir! Il est vide peut-etre? (What are you afraid of? A wide black hole! It is empty, perhaps!) is a 1896 ink by Odilon Redon, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows a shadowy figure with a hooded cloak, reaching toward a dark, swirling shape above. The face is blurred, almost lost in the folds of the robe. The background is rough and textured, with jagged lines that feel restless. The dark shape the figure touches looks like a gaping hole—empty, but unsettling. The artist played with fear and the unknown, using loose, sketchy lines instead of clear details. Want to see more of this style? Check out lithography.
Born Bertrand-Jean Redon on 20 April 1840 in Bordeaux, the artist adopted the name Odilon from his mother, Marie-Odile.
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