"I saw a large and pale sudden glow" (by Odilon Redon); verso: Bords de Rivière, ou Les Oies (by Alfred Sisley) 1896 - 1897

Curator: Odilon Redon's mysterious print, "I saw a large and pale sudden glow", presents us with a stark, interior scene. Editor: It feels unsettling—the heavy darkness and those barely visible stairs suggest a place of secrets. How does Redon achieve this mood? Curator: Through the intense contrast of light and shadow, and the etching technique itself. Notice the fine lines creating textures, particularly that ephemeral glow emanating from the left. Editor: It makes me think about the work involved in creating such contrasts, the materials, the inking. It's a very tactile process. Curator: Indeed, and how he manipulates light to destabilize spatial perception; our sense of depth is skewed, leaving us in a state of perceptual uncertainty. Editor: It’s intriguing to consider how the glow, almost like a spotlight, throws the tangible, material aspects of the space into sharp relief. Curator: Redon's work is so often described as dreamlike, but perhaps it's this tension between the visible and the obscured that lingers most. Editor: Yes, a compelling glimpse into somewhere between the known and the unknown, rendered through careful labor.