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Armor

1891
Not on view
This fantastical drawing of a helmeted woman in profile is one of four similar charcoal drawings Redon executed during the last decade of the nineteenth century. The sitter, rendered strangely mute by her helmetlike covering and untouchable by its thorny needles, varies slightly from sheet to sheet. While the exact meaning of Redon's image is unclear, it has been thought that the bizarre bondage imposed on his sitter expresses subconscious fear of female sexuality or, conversely, serves as a symbol of female fecundity. Equally important, however, is Redon's virtuoso handling of charcoal and his ability to capture its full range of tones, from the dark velvet quality of the helmet to the pallor of the woman's skin.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Armor
  • Artist: Odilon Redon (French, Bordeaux 1840–1916 Paris)
  • Date: 1891
  • Medium: Charcoal and conté crayon
  • Dimensions: 20 x 14 1/2 in. (50.7 x 36.8 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1948
  • Object Number: 48.10.1
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Eyes Closed, Odilon Redon French, Lithograph
Eyes Closed
Odilon Redon
1890
Cover of Songes Album, Odilon Redon French, Lithograph
Cover of Songes Album
Odilon Redon
n.d.
A Veil, a Printed Image, Odilon Redon French, Lithograph
A Veil, a Printed Image
Odilon Redon
Armand Clavaud
1891
In the shadow of the wing, the black creature bit, Odilon Redon French, Lithograph
In the shadow of the wing, the black creature bit
Odilon Redon
1891
Brunnhilde (The Twilight of the Gods), Odilon Redon French, Lithograph
Brunnhilde (The Twilight of the Gods)
Odilon Redon
1894

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