And there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp - Odilon Redon

A striking lithograph from Odilon Redon's 1899 Apocalypse series, capturing a celestial event through the artist's signature use of deep, atmospheric blacks.

This lithograph is part of the Apocalypse de Saint-Jean series, a collection of twelve prints produced by Odilon Redon in 1899. The work interprets the biblical text from the Book of Revelation, specifically the arrival of a star falling from the heavens. Redon, a central figure in the Symbolist movement, utilised the medium of lithography to explore the boundaries between reality and the subconscious. His mastery of black and white tones allowed him to create atmospheric depth without the need for colour. The composition is dominated by a central, radiant form that suggests a celestial body descending. Surrounding this light source are dark, ambiguous figures that appear insect-like or spectral. These creatures observe the event with a sense of detachment, a common motif in Redon's work where the organic and the monstrous merge. The contrast between the stark white light and the dense, velvety blacks creates a sense of unease and cosmic scale. Redon often referred to his black-and-white works as his 'noirs'. He believed that these prints possessed a unique power to evoke dreams and internal states of mind. By stripping away the distractions of colour, he forced the viewer to engage with the texture of the ink and the suggestive nature of the forms. This print demonstrates his ability to transform a literary source into a visual experience that feels both ancient and otherworldly. The lines are delicate yet purposeful, building up the shadows through layers of hatching and stippling. This technique gives the image a tactile quality, making the light appear to vibrate against the darkness. It is a fine example of late nineteenth-century printmaking, where technical precision meets the imaginative freedom of the Symbolist aesthetic.