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Quasimodo
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The nineteenth-century French artist Odilon Redon was known for works defined by their darkness—both the black materials he used and the mood of his fantastical themes. This drawing depicts Quasimodo, the protagonist of Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel <em>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</em>, but does not directly relate to the text. Redon layered and rubbed away charcoal marks to create the indeterminate space behind the pair.
| Artist / Maker | Odilon Redon |
|---|---|
| Date | c. 1875–80 |
| Culture / Origin | France, 19th century |
| Medium | charcoal with fabricated black chalk and touches of white and gray gouache on gray wove paper |
| Dimensions | Sheet: 36.8 x 32.9 cm (14 1/2 x 12 15/16 in.) |
| Department | Drawings |
| Type | Drawing |
About the Artist
A leader of the symbolist movement in France, Odilon Redon was born in Bordeaux in 1840 and grew up in the surrounding region. During his early years he studied drawing, architecture, and the violin. A friendship with Armand Clavaud, a local botanist and philosopher, stimulated Redon's passion for romantic art and literature. In 1864, after a brief and discouraging period of instruction with Gérôme in Paris, Redon returned to Bordeaux, where he studied printmaking with Rodolphe Bresdin (1825-1885). Deploring the… Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
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