Mon Enfant 1892

This delicate drawing, ‘Mon Enfant’, was created by Odilon Redon. We are presented with a softly rendered profile of a child's face, composed with subtle tonal variations in the graphite. The absence of sharp lines and the delicate gradations create an ethereal, dreamlike quality. Redon's piece evokes a sense of intimacy and introspection. The child’s gaze is directed inward, enhancing the sense of a private, interior world. There is a structural contrast between the smooth expanse of the face and the detailed, almost chaotic lines that define the hair. This tension reflects Redon’s broader artistic project of exploring the interplay between the rational and the irrational. This drawing challenges conventional portraiture, inviting us to consider the psychological depth beneath the surface of representation. The focus is less on capturing an exact likeness, and more on conveying a mood or a state of being.