Provenance
Sold by the artist to Amboise Vollard (1867- 1939), Paris, December 1899 [according to Chicago 1994]. Henri Petiet (1894-1980) Paris, by March 1940 [according to Wildenstein 1992]; sold to the Art Institute, 1950.
Accession Number
90316
Medium
Various charcoals, with touches of black chalk, stumping, erasing, incising, and subtractive sponge work, heightened with traces of white chalk, on cream wove paper altered to a golden tone
Dimensions
46.6 × 37.6 cm (18 3/8 × 14 13/16 in.)
Classification
charcoal
Credit Line
David Adler Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
Odilon Redon's Guardian Spirit of the Waters (1878) is a charcoal drawing depicting a mysterious winged or looming figure that guards the waters. The subject draws on Redon's personal mythology of spirits and guardians, mysterious presences that inhabit the natural world. The charcoal technique is extraordinarily subtle, using stumping, erasing, incising, and subtractive sponge work to create a rich range of tones and textures.
Cultural Impact
Redon's guardian spirits are among the most haunting images of his noir period, suggesting a world inhabited by unseen presences.
Why It Matters
This charcoal drawing of a guardian spirit of the waters creates a haunting sense of invisible presences in the natural world.
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Cover-Frontispiece for the Temptation of St. Anthony
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