Ophelia 

Odilon Redon created this painting of Ophelia with oil on canvas. Redon, working in France, turned to literature for inspiration, particularly the figure of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The cultural fascination with Ophelia grew exponentially in the 19th century. Her representation became a canvas onto which artists and audiences projected shifting societal anxieties about female sexuality, madness, and death. Ophelia’s story, of a woman driven to madness and ultimately death by male authority, resonated with a culture grappling with evolving gender roles and the increasing visibility of women in the public sphere. Historical research into the social and cultural conditions of the late 19th century, including studies of literary criticism, medical discourse, and gender studies, enriches our understanding of how artworks like this one became so popular.