The breadth and flatness of the frontal bone
Original title: The breadth and flatness of the frontal bone
kurzbeschreibung
Odilon Redon's 1896 lithograph Die Breite und Flachheit des Stirnbeins presents a figure in profile, struck by light from behind. Long hair surrounds the head, and an oval frame confines the field of the image. Black and white govern the sheet, which measures 45 x 31.4 cm.
Description
A head in side profile, lit from the rear so that contours and shadows stand out sharply. Long hair falls over the shoulder. A plain oval frame encloses the figure; nothing else appears. The restriction to black and white suits the lithograph.
Context
In 1896 Redon was producing lithographs concerned with the shape of the human head and with anatomical study. This sheet belongs to a series that takes up physiognomic and phrenological questions. The artist was known for symbolist and fantastic images, often drawing on scientific and medical sources.
Impact
The strong interplay of light and shadow gives the print a quiet, inward-turned mood. The reduction to a few forms lets the silhouette and the delicate contours come forward. Through the oval setting the work feels like an intimate medallion.
Technique
For this lithograph, fatty chalk was drawn on a limestone and the image then printed in black on paper. The fine gradations of light and dark, along with the precise contours, are characteristic of Redon's lithographic method.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)