Artwork
He Raises the Bronze Urn
He Raises the Bronze Urn is a print by the Impressionist artist Odilon Redon. It dates from 1888 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
He Raises the Bronze Urn is a print from a portfolio inspired by Gustave Flaubert’s novel The Temptation of Saint Anthony. It is one of three such portfolios created by Odilon Redon, capturing the novel’s dark, imaginative essence.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a ghostly figure lifting a bronze urn amidst a swirling, dark background. Rather than illustrating the novel’s content, it embodies the eerie, surreal mood evoked by Flaubert’s text, featuring invented, dream-like elements.
Technique & Style
Redon employed thick, blurry black lines to achieve a heavy, suffocating atmosphere, reminiscent of chiaroscuro’s interplay of deep shadows. The style aims to translate the density of charcoal drawings into lithography.
History & Provenance
Created after Redon read Flaubert’s 1874 novel, the print was part of a series that, despite the artist’s belief in its success, was largely misunderstood during his lifetime.
Context
Part of a broader artistic response to literary works, Redon’s portfolio reflects the late 19th-century intersection of avant-garde literature and visual arts, exploring the subconscious and the surreal.
Artist & collection
Artist
Born Bertrand-Jean Redon on 20 April 1840 in Bordeaux, the artist adopted the name Odilon from his mother, Marie-Odile.
First a Pool of Water, Then a Prostitute, the Corner of a Temple, a Soldier's Face, a Chariot with Two White, Rearing Horses
And a Large Bird, Descending from the Sky, Hurls Itself against the Topmost Point of Her Hair
It Is the Devil, Bearing Beneath His Two Wings the Seven Deadly Sins
And Another Angel Came Out of the Temple which is in Heaven, and He also Having a Sharp Sickle
And He Had in His Right Hand Seven Stars; and Out of His Mouth Went a Sharp Two-Edged Sword
Below, I Saw the Vaporous Contours of a Human Form