Artwork
The Chimera with Green Eyes Turns, Bays
The Chimera with Green Eyes Turns, Bays 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
You see a strange creature with a lion’s body, a goat’s head on its back, and a snake for a tail—all glowing green eyes in the dark.
You see a strange creature with a lion’s body, a goat’s head on its back, and a snake for a tail—all glowing green eyes in the dark.
Redon made this after reading Flaubert’s wild book about a saint’s nightmares. He didn’t copy the story; he drew the feeling of it—like a bad dream you can’t shake. The thick black lines make the monster feel real, even though it’s not.
For more of these eerie, invented creatures, look up Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916).
Overview
The Chimera with Green Eyes Turns, Bays is a print by Odilon Redon, part of a series of lithographs inspired by Gustave Flaubert's novel The Temptation of Saint Anthony.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a fantastical creature with a lion's body, a goat's head on its back, and a snake for a tail, all characterized by glowing green eyes. The image evokes the dark, imaginative tone of Flaubert's novel, capturing the feeling of a surreal and unsettling dream.
Technique & Style
Redon employed thick black lines in his lithograph to convey the dense blackness of charcoal, creating a sense of depth and darkness. The use of jarring tonal variations adds to the otherworldly atmosphere of the image.
Context
The print is one of a series of works Redon created in response to Flaubert's novel, interpreting the text's fantastical and moralizing themes through invented monsters and figures in eerie settings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Born Bertrand-Jean Redon on 20 April 1840 in Bordeaux, the artist adopted the name Odilon from his mother, Marie-Odile.
