Le Sphynx...mon regard que rien ne peut devier, demeure tendu a travers les choses sur un horizon inaccessible. La Chimere: Moi,Je suis legere et joyeuse (The Sphinx: "My gaze, which nothing can deflect, passes through the things and remains fixed on an inaccessible horizon." The Chimera: "I am weightless and joyful")

Redon employed lithography to achieve deep blacks and delicate grays, using the stone’s surface to build texture through tonal gradations. The figures emerge from near-total darkness through selective ink application, creating dramatic chiaroscuro. Lines are minimal; form is suggested through shadow and silhouette. This restrained technique enhances the dreamlike ambiguity, aligning with Symbolist aesthetics that favored suggestion over literal representation.

Produced in 1889, the print was part of Redon’s series exploring mythic and psychological themes during his mature period. It entered the National Gallery of Art’s collection through the Chester Dale bequest in 1963, a major acquisition that strengthened the museum’s holdings of 19th-century French prints. No earlier exhibition history is widely documented, but the work aligns with Redon’s broader shift from dark, fantastical imagery to more lyrical symbolism.

Emerging in the late 19th century, Symbolism rejected realism in favor of emotional and spiritual expression. Redon, influenced by Baudelaire and Wagner, sought to visualize the unseen—dreams, fears, metaphysical states. This print reflects a broader cultural turn toward interiority, where mythic creatures and ambiguous figures became vessels for psychological exploration, distinct from the naturalism of Impressionism or the social critique of Realism.

Redon’s use of shadow and ambiguity in this print influenced later Surrealists, who admired his ability to evoke the subconscious without narrative clarity. While not widely reproduced in his lifetime, the work’s quiet intensity has secured its place in discussions of Symbolist printmaking. It remains a touchstone for artists exploring the limits of visual suggestion and the emotional power of the unseen.