There Were Also Embryonic Beings 1885

Odilon Redon created this lithograph, “There Were Also Embryonic Beings," in France in the late 19th century. It’s a strange and unsettling image, one that speaks to the social anxieties of its time. The image presents us with floating, disembodied heads, evoking ideas around the origins of life. Made during a period of rapid scientific advancement, it seems to question the place of the human within a changing world. Darwin's theories of evolution challenged long-held beliefs about creation, leading to uncertainty about the relationship between humanity and the natural world. This print reflects the tensions between scientific progress and traditional belief systems prevalent at the time. The historian examines such work in the context of the institutions that shaped it. By exploring the cultural debates, scientific literature, and the art market of the time, we can understand the complex dialogue Redon was having with his contemporaries. Art is a social product, always responding to the world in which it was made.