And I Saw in the Right Hand of Him that Sat on the Throne a Book Written Within and On the Backside, Sealed With Seven Seals, plate 2 of 12 1899

Odilon Redon made this lithograph in France in the late 19th century. It depicts a scene from the Book of Revelation, a symbolic vision of the end times. Redon was working at a time of great social change and anxiety, and his art often reflects a sense of uncertainty and spiritual questioning. Here, we see a figure seated on a throne, holding a book sealed with seven seals. This image draws from Christian iconography, but Redon transforms it into something strange and unsettling. Look at the disembodied heads floating in the lower part of the image; they suggest a world of dreams and nightmares rather than religious certainties. Redon’s art was admired by the Symbolist movement, a group of artists and writers who emphasized the importance of subjective experience and the power of the imagination. To understand Redon's art, we can look to the cultural and intellectual context of his time. By studying the literature, philosophy, and religious beliefs of late 19th-century France, we can gain a deeper appreciation of the social conditions that shaped his artistic vision.