Profil de lumiere 1886

Editor: So, this is Odilon Redon's "Profil de Lumiere," a lithograph from 1886. The figure emerging from the darkness, eyes closed, gives me a feeling of both peace and, strangely, melancholy. It's all about the lines and how the light falls. What captures your attention most in this piece? Curator: It's a gorgeous ghost of a thing, isn’t it? Redon, you see, was all about stirring the pot of the subconscious. This 'Profile of Light' to me whispers of dreams, not the fluffy kind, but the ones teeming with shadowy figures and elusive meanings. Look closely—the line work isn't just decorative; it’s almost vibrational, creating a sense of unease or perhaps profound contemplation. Does she look like she is ascending to something to you, or just lost? Editor: I see what you mean. Ascending, but weighed down...a struggle, maybe? I initially saw it as purely serene, but the vibrational quality makes it less so. Curator: Exactly! It is a dance of contrasts. Redon didn’t hand-feed his audience. He’d dangle an image before you, heavy with implication, and say, "Here, you feel it out". And it is so potent, this symbolic language, that it sticks with you, like a half-remembered dream. So, how does that shift in perspective change your initial feeling now? Editor: It's definitely richer now, not just peaceful, but complex. There is tension there. Curator: Absolutely! It is not one thing, it's many things, living in the gray areas, and those can be far more vibrant than simple black and white. The Symbolists understood that. The world, our minds, are rarely clearcut. It makes you want to plunge deeper into the artistic journey, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Definitely! Thanks so much; I'm seeing so many new layers now. Curator: My pleasure! And it’s by unpeeling these layers, these mysteries, that we truly engage with the artwork. Isn’t that the best part?