And In the Very Disk of the Sun Shines the Face of Jesus Christ - Odilon Redon

A striking Symbolist lithograph by Odilon Redon, featuring the face of Christ emerging from a radiant, textured sun.

This lithograph by Odilon Redon belongs to his series titled 'La Tentation de Saint Antoine' (The Temptation of Saint Anthony). Redon, a central figure in the Symbolist movement, often explored themes that bridged the gap between the physical world and the realm of dreams or spiritual visions. His work is characterised by a mastery of black and white, which he referred to as his 'noirs'. The image presents a singular, haunting vision: the face of Christ emerging from the centre of a radiant, sun-like orb. Redon employs a dense, scratchy application of lithographic ink to create the surrounding corona, which contrasts sharply with the delicate, almost ethereal rendering of the facial features. The stark black background pushes the luminous circle forward, creating a sense of depth and mystery. The lines radiating from the central disk suggest an intense, pulsating energy, typical of Redon's ability to imbue inanimate objects with a sense of consciousness or supernatural presence. Unlike the more literal religious depictions of his contemporaries, Redon focuses on the psychological and atmospheric impact of the subject. The face itself is rendered with soft, subtle gradations of tone, providing a quiet anchor amidst the chaotic, energetic marks of the sun's rays. This print demonstrates Redon's technical skill in lithography, where he manipulated the stone to achieve textures ranging from deep, velvety blacks to fine, gossamer-like lines. It is a work that invites contemplation, relying on the viewer's own imagination to complete the narrative suggested by the title. The composition remains one of the most recognisable examples of his late nineteenth-century graphic output, reflecting his interest in the intersection of mysticism and visual art.