Then There Appears a Singular Being, Having the Head of a Man On the Body of a Fish, plate 5 of 10 - Odilon Redon

The Stickney Collection

"Then There Appears a Singular Being, Having the Head of a Man On the Body of a Fish, plate 5 of 10" by Odilon Redon (1888) Lithograph in black on ivory China paper, laid down on ivory wove paper (chine collé).

Commentary

"Then There Appears a Singular Being, Having the Head of a Man On the Body of a Fish, plate 5 of 10" by Odilon Redon (1888) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include lithograph. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Odilon Redon is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Odilon Redon French, 1840-1916. The work is cataloged within a France cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as lithograph, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Lithograph in black on ivory China paper, laid down on ivory wove paper (chine collé)) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image/chine: 27.6 × 17.1 cm (10 7/8 × 6 3/4 in.); Sheet: 43.2 × 31.4 cm (17 1/16 × 12 3/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include lithograph. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/79449

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data