Et celui qui était monté dessus se nommait la Mort (And the rider was called Death)
Odilon Redon, French, 1840 - 1916
1899
Lithograph on paper
Overall: 22 × 16 3/4 in. (55.9 × 42.5 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Julia L. Whittier Fund
PR.950.28.11
Portfolio / Series Title
Apocalypse de Saint-Jean (Apocalypse of Saint John)
Geography
Place Made: France, Europe
Period
19th century
Object Name
Research Area
Not on view
Label
The fourth horseman of the apocalypse fades into the background as Death emerges from the shadows. The skeleton’s hands raise a dramatically elongated sword, evoking Dürer’s Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon from four centuries before. This authoritative gesture marks the finality of the apocalypse’s approach. In contrast to previous prints depicting the apocalypse, this figure is captured in a manner influenced by the emergence of photography.
Redon embraced the symbolist movement of the 1880s, which valued human emotion over the natural world in its artistic expression. Religious subject matter like the apocalypse became a vehicle for expressing inner subjectivity. The infinite lines of this lithograph suggest deep contrasts of light and dark and vast empty spaces, amplifying the artist’s general uneasiness about living through his own apocalyptic time.
From the 2024 exhibition, A Space for Dialogue 116, Apocalypse When: reflections on our collective psyche, Molly Rouzie '24, Homma Family Intern
Course History
Italian 3.01, Introductory Italian III, Floriana Ciniglia, Winter 2024
Exhibition History
A Space for Dialogue 116, Apocalypse When: reflections on our collective psyche, Molly Rouzie '24, Homma Family Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 6 - March 2, 2024
Provenance
Charles D. Childs, Boston, Massachusetts; sold to present collection, 1950.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu