Christ - Odilon Redon
Archival giclée
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Description
A haunting 1887 lithograph by Odilon Redon, capturing a meditative and atmospheric portrait of Christ through masterful use of light and shadow.
This lithograph by Odilon Redon presents a haunting, introspective study of the head of Christ. Created in 1887, the work exemplifies the artist's mastery of the 'noirs', a term he used to describe his extensive body of charcoal drawings and lithographic prints. Redon focuses on the psychological weight of the subject, using deep shadows and high-contrast modelling to isolate the face against a dark, atmospheric background.
The crown of thorns is rendered with sharp, jagged strokes that contrast with the soft, ethereal shading of the face. Redon avoids traditional religious iconography in favour of a more subjective, dreamlike interpretation. The eyes are large and expressive, conveying a sense of sorrow and internal reflection rather than physical suffering. By manipulating the texture of the lithographic stone, Redon achieves a velvety depth that absorbs light, creating a sense of mystery typical of the Symbolist movement.
Redon was a central figure in the late nineteenth-century French art scene, moving away from the objective observation of the Impressionists to explore the realm of the imagination and the subconscious. This print demonstrates his ability to transform a familiar religious subject into a personal, evocative image. The composition is tight, focusing entirely on the facial features to draw the viewer into a direct, quiet encounter with the figure. The subtle variations in tone, from the deepest blacks to the pale highlights on the brow and cheek, demonstrate his technical precision. This piece remains a primary example of his graphic work, where the medium of lithography allows for a range of tonal values that mimic the fluidity of charcoal. It is a quiet, meditative work that invites close inspection of its layered, shadowy surfaces.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Christ - Odilon Redon
Artist Biography
Odilon Redon
For the first two decades of his career he worked exclusively in black: charcoal drawings and lithographs he called his noirs. Floating eyeballs, severed heads with closed lids, spiders with human faces, plants that grow teeth. The images are hallucinatory but precisely rendered, closer to medical illustration than fantasy. He published his first lithograph album, Dans le Reve, in 1879. Nobody noticed.
Recognition came sideways. In 1884, Joris-Karl Huysmans published A rebours, a novel about a reclusive aesthete who decorates his rooms with Redon's prints. The book became a cult text for the Symbolist movement and Redon became famous by association. Stephane Mallarme, the Symbolist poet, became a close friend. Redon also completed a series of lithographs dedicated to Edgar Allan Poe, whose poems Mallarme and Baudelaire had translated into French.
After 1900 he stopped making noirs entirely and shifted to colour: pastels and oils of flowers, mythological figures and butterflies in palettes that anticipate Matisse. The transition was so complete that the Surrealists later claimed the black work while the Fauves claimed the colour, and neither group seemed to notice they were talking about the same person.
He studied under Jean-Leon Gerome at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, which is an unlikely pairing: Gerome painted Roman gladiators with photographic precision. Redon painted eyeballs attached to balloons. Goya and Delacroix were the influences that actually stuck.
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