Provenance
Ambroise Vollard (1867-1939), Paris [according to Wildenstein 1992]. Henri Petiet (1894-1980), Paris, by March 1940 [according to Wildenstein 1992]; sold to the Art Institute, 1950.
Accession Number
90307
Medium
Two types of charcoal with stumping, scraping, erasing and burnishing, on ivory wove paper (discolored to cream)
Dimensions
52.6 × 37.5 cm (20 3/4 × 14 13/16 in.)
Classification
charcoal
Credit Line
David Adler Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
Odilon Redon's Le Nebuleuse (1875/80) is a charcoal drawing on ivory wove paper using two types of charcoal with stumping, scraping, erasing, and burnishing. The title refers to a nebula, a cloud of gas and dust in space, suggesting Redon's interest in cosmic themes. The drawing presents a formless, glowing mass, a vision of primordial matter or cosmic energy.
Cultural Impact
Redon's cosmic subjects reflect his interest in the origins of the universe and the mysteries of creation.
Why It Matters
This charcoal drawing of a nebula captures the mystery of cosmic creation with Redon's evocative technique.
Related Artworks
And in the Very Disk of the Sun Lights the Face of Jesus Christ, plate 10 from The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1st series)
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Then There Appears a Singular Being, Having the Head of a Man On the Body of a Fish, plate 5 of 10
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Cover-Frontispiece for the Temptation of St. Anthony
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Ophelia
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