And a Large Bird, Descending From the Sky, Hurls Itself Against the Topmost Point of Her Hair, plate 3 of 10 1888

This lithograph was made by Odilon Redon, using a rather ingenious method that involves drawing with a greasy crayon on a stone, then treating it chemically so that ink adheres only to the drawn areas. Redon was fascinated by the velvety blacks and infinite gradations of grey he could achieve. The resulting prints have an uncanny, dreamlike quality, ideally suited to his symbolist imagery. Consider the work involved: not just the artist’s initial drawing, but the skilled labor of preparing the stone, and the repetitive work of printing each impression. It's a commercial medium, intended to circulate widely. The grainy texture evokes the mysterious. The richness of tonality, built up through layers of skilled labor, invites us to look closely, and to consider the connection between the image and the means of its production. It reminds us that even the most ethereal visions are grounded in material processes and social contexts.