Passage d'une Ame (Passage of a Spirit)

Odilon Redon

1891

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Nude

About this work

This black-and-white print shows a ghostly figure floating upward. The body is see-through, with soft lines marking the arms and legs. Dark shapes in the background look like tangled branches or smoke. The artist used a scratchy method to create the texture. The lines feel like they’re moving, almost like the figure is dissolving. Look up etching to see how artists make prints like this.