'The Temptation of Saint Anthony'. 'Ensuite, paraît un être singulier, ayant une tête d'homme sur un corps de poisson' (Plate V)
About this artwork
This print is from a series inspired by Gustave Flaubert’s prose-poem ‘La Tentation de Saint Antoine’. These prints are not pure illustration but rather serve as interpretations of the story. Dream-imagery was central to many of Redon’s drawings and prints at this time, and his works are often peopled with fantastic hybrid creatures and present strange combinations of subjects. This print shows a strange, almost amoebic, creature with the head of a man and the body of a fish. It reveals Redon’s fascination with the French chemist, Louis Pasteur and developments in micro-biology. In a single drop of water "there arises the spectacle of giants of a gripping horror and a frightful, predatory nature".
Updated before 2020
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artist:Odilon Redon (1840 - 1916) French
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title:'The Temptation of Saint Anthony'. 'Ensuite, paraît un être singulier, ayant une tête d'homme sur un corps de poisson' (Plate V)
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date created:Published 1888
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materials:Lithograph on chine applique
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measurements:image: 27.50 x 17.00 cm ; sheet: 44.50 x 31.00 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1959
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accession number:P 2446.6
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gallery:
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subject:
Odilon Redon
Odilon Redon
Odilon (Bertrand-Jean) Redon was an innovative French printmaker, draughtsman and Symbolist painter. In the 1860s he formed a close friendship with the printmaker Rodolphe Bresdin and from him learned the craft of engraving and etching. Redon was noted for his large, highly original charcoal...