And I, John, saw these things, and heard them. - Odilon Redon

A contemplative lithograph by Odilon Redon, depicting a visionary figure from his 1899 Apocalypse series.

This lithograph by Odilon Redon, titled 'And I, John, saw these things, and heard them.', forms part of his 1899 portfolio titled 'Apocalypse de Saint-Jean'. Redon, a central figure in the Symbolist movement, moved away from the objective representation of the natural world to explore the internal realms of dreams, memory, and the subconscious. His work often features a characteristic softness, achieved through the manipulation of light and shadow on the lithographic stone. The image depicts a figure, traditionally identified as Saint John the Evangelist, in a moment of quiet contemplation or visionary experience. The subject is shown in profile, with long, flowing hair and hands pressed together in a gesture of prayer or reception. Redon employs a delicate, hatched line quality to model the form, allowing the figure to emerge from the surrounding void. The composition is restrained, focusing entirely on the psychological state of the subject rather than the external environment. Redon's approach to the Apocalypse is not one of literal narrative illustration. Instead, he captures the atmosphere of the visionary experience. The ambiguity of the figure, combined with the ethereal quality of the print, invites the viewer to engage with the subject on a personal, meditative level. The artist's mastery of black and white tones creates a sense of depth and mystery, typical of his later graphic work. This print demonstrates his ability to convey complex emotional states through minimal visual information, relying on the texture of the lithographic medium to suggest a world beyond the physical. It remains a fine example of his contribution to late nineteenth-century printmaking, where he pushed the boundaries of the medium to express subjective, internal realities.