Odilon Redon

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Odilon Redon
1840-1916
The Tree Man
ca. 1895
Charcoal and graphite pencil on light brown paper.
20 1/16 x 14 3/4 inches (510 x 376 mm)
Thaw Collection.
2017.205
Provenance: 
Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw, New York.
Bibliography: 

The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY, "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection", 2017. Exh. cat., no. 315, repr.

Notes: 

The theme of metamorphosis, prevalent in Redon's work, is embodied by the bizarre hybrid creatures that appear in his noirs. Here, a man's head covered in a spiky crown emerges from the side of a leafy tree on the bank of a river. His face is shaded as he looks down, his mouth closed. As in many of Redon's drawings, the imagery is elusive and unsettling. -- Exhibition Label, from "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection"

Associated names: 

Thaw, Eugene Victor, former owner.
Thaw, Clare, former owner.

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