2-736-461 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Orpheus, c. 1903-1910. Redon’s oeuvre can be roughly divided into two sections: the black works of his early career—when he used charcoal and lithography—and the coloured works of his mature period—when, prompted by a yearning for colour, he transitioned to pastel and oil painting. As a drawing material, pastel is similar to charcoal; both are capable of rendering sharp lines and dense forms, as well as diffused edges and powdery evanescence. Here, Redon utilized the velvety tones of pastel to create an image of hypnotic suggestiveness. The head of the poet and musician Orpheus floats on his lyre down the River Hebrus, while a glittering Mount Parnassus—the home of Apollo and the Muses—soars heavenward.