Artwork
Saint Sebastian
Saint Sebastian is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Odilon Redon. It dates from 1911 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: ODILON REDON
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Odilon Redon's 1911 oil on canvas Saint Sebastian depicts the Christian martyr Saint Sebastian, emphasizing his martyrdom as the painting's main subject.
Odilon Redon's 1911 oil on canvas Saint Sebastian depicts the Christian martyr Saint Sebastian, emphasizing his martyrdom as the painting's main subject. Rendered in a religious genre, the work focuses on the saint's suffering and steadfastness, reflecting traditional Christian iconography of martyrdom as a testament to faith. The painting's religious character underscores its role as a devotional image, inviting contemplation of spiritual endurance. It is part of the National Gallery of Art's collection in Washington, D.C.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1911, the painting employs oil on canvas, a medium associated with Redon's late works, allowing layered, translucent glazes that modulate luminosity. The vertical format (144 × 62.5 cm) focuses attention on the attenuated martyr, rendered with attenuated contours and a muted palette of ochres and umbers. Stylistically, the composition favors symbolic attenuation over anatomical precision, aligning with Redon's Symbolist vocabulary. Handling reveals deliberate, hushed brushwork rather than impasto, with glazes softly diffusing form and ground.
History & Provenance
Odilon Redon created the oil-on-canvas painting Saint Sebastian in 1911. The work's documented ownership begins with Jules Chavasse of Paris, from whose estate it was sold at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris on June 22, 1922. It subsequently passed through the Reinhardt Galleries in New York before entering the collection of Mrs. Lotus Robb Smith by 1928.
Following her divorce around 1937, the painting was sold by her former husband to Julius H. Weitzner in London and New York. Weitzner transferred the work to Chester Dale of New York on October 20, 1950. Dale held the piece until his death, at which point it was bequeathed as a gift to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1963.
The painting is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., having been given by Chester Dale in 1963. It was exhibited at De Hauke and Co., New York, in 1928 while on loan from Mrs. Lotus Robb Smith, and was reproduced in Parnassus in March 1931. Since its acquisition, the painting has remained part of the NGA's permanent collection. The sources do not record an accession or inventory number for the work.
Context
The 1911 oil on canvas by Odilon Redon portrays the Christian martyr Saint Sebastian and belongs to the religious genre within his later Symbolist production. Its early ownership in Paris passed through Jules Chavasse before appearing in the 1928 exhibition at de Hauke and Co., New York, and it was noted in Lotus Robb Smith's collection published in Parnassus (1931). The work later entered the holdings of Julius Weitzner and Chester Dale, eventually being gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1963. Scholarship links its iconography to Redon's fascination with martyrdom and highlights its significance within early-20th-century religious painting.
Overview
This oil painting on canvas depicts Saint Sebastian, a figure revered in Christian tradition. The artwork portrays the saint bound to a tree, his body pierced by arrows, a common representation of his martyrdom. This particular rendition captures a moment of suffering, yet often emphasizes the saint's spiritual resilience in the face of physical torment.
Artist & collection
Artist
Odilon Redon (born Bertrand Redon; French: ; 20 April 1840 – 6 July 1916) was a French Symbolist draftsman, printmaker, and painter.
