Et celui qui était monté dessus se nommait la Mort 1899

Odilon Redon created this lithograph, titled 'Et celui qui était monté dessus se nommait la Mort,' using ink on paper. The print plunges us into a world of shadowy forms, dominated by a somber palette and the stark contrast of light and dark. The composition features a skeletal figure, rigidly upright, juxtaposed with soft, amorphous shapes. Redon destabilizes traditional symbolic meanings of death. The skeletal figure isn't merely a symbol of mortality; it's rendered with a disturbing elegance that challenges our emotional response. The figure hoists a flag which bisects the composition, while the hatching and cross-hatching add depth and texture, creating a dream-like, unsettling atmosphere. Redon’s formal choices reflect broader cultural anxieties of his time, playing with the Symbolist movement's themes of the macabre and the subconscious. The piece compels us to confront not just death but our own perceptions and fears, inviting an interpretation that is intensely personal.