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

A haunting lithograph from Odilon Redon's 1899 Apocalypse series, depicting a celestial event through the artist's signature dreamlike, monochromatic style.

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 third angel sounding the trumpet. Redon, a master of the lithographic medium, uses the deep, velvety blacks characteristic of his noir period to create a sense of cosmic dread and otherworldly phenomena. The composition features a central, radiating light source that dominates the frame, contrasting sharply with the surrounding darkness. Figures, rendered with a ghostly, ethereal quality, appear to witness the descent of the star. Redon avoids literal representation, opting instead for a dreamlike, psychological interpretation of the text. His technique involves a sophisticated manipulation of light and shadow, where the white of the paper is allowed to emerge from the dense, textured ink to define form and energy. Redon was associated with the Symbolist movement, which prioritised the expression of ideas and emotions over the objective depiction of the physical world. This print demonstrates his ability to transform biblical narrative into a personal, visionary experience. The figures possess a strange, insect-like anatomy, a recurring motif in his work that suggests a bridge between the biological and the supernatural. By focusing on the atmospheric and the uncanny, Redon invites the viewer to engage with the image as a subjective meditation on the nature of light, destruction, and the divine. The print remains a compelling example of late nineteenth-century graphic art, showcasing the technical precision and imaginative depth that defined Redon's career.