The Servant 

Odilon Redon painted "The Servant," an 18 by 23 cm oil on canvas, a work imbued with symbols that speak to universal human experiences. The most striking image is the servant herself, her gaze unsettling, her eyes hollow pits. This evokes a feeling of blindness. We are reminded of classical figures like the blind seer Tiresias, who, despite his blindness, possessed a profound inner vision. The servant's blindness, whether literal or metaphorical, invites us to consider the nature of perception and the hidden truths that may lie beyond our immediate sight. The tray she holds could also symbolize sacrifice or offering, a gesture seen in religious iconography throughout history. Like Salome holding the head of John the Baptist, this presentation of the tray is a symbolic act charged with layers of cultural and psychological meaning. It’s a cyclical journey of symbols through time, transformed yet eternally resonant in the human psyche.