Untitled

Redon employed lithography on chine appliqué, a method that allows thin paper to be bonded to a heavier support during printing, enhancing tonal richness. He contrasted fluid, sketchy feather lines with the horse’s smooth, sculpted form, creating a tactile tension. The ink’s variable absorption produces subtle gradations of shadow, lending depth without overt modeling. The technique emphasizes texture over detail, reinforcing the image’s dreamlike atmosphere.

This work entered the collection of The Museum of Modern Art as part of its broader acquisition of early modern prints. While not among Redon’s most widely exhibited pieces, it represents a transitional moment in his career—after his *noirs* and before his full embrace of pastel. Its preservation reflects institutional recognition of his graphic work’s significance within the evolution of modern printmaking.

In the 1890s, French Symbolism sought to express inner experience through metaphor and suggestion, rejecting naturalism. Redon, though increasingly working in color, retained his graphic sensibility in prints like this one. The winged horse resonates with mythological and literary traditions, while the solitary arm evokes the human presence as observer or catalyst—common motifs in Symbolist imagery seeking to transcend the visible.

Redon’s graphic works, including this lithograph, influenced later artists exploring psychological depth and non-narrative form. His use of texture and ambiguity in printmaking expanded the expressive potential of lithography beyond illustration. Though less known than his pastels, these prints remain vital for understanding his contribution to the transition from 19th-century symbolism to 20th-century modernism.