France, 19th century / c. 1868
Melancholy
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Melancholy as drawing (France, 19th century · c. 1868).
Redon incorporated fantastical details into his mountainous landscape, including a small creature seen faintly directly above the woman and a profile that vaguely appears in the shadows next to her.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this drawing as graphite on beige wove paper and credits Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916).
The museum's collection notes: Odilon Redon grew up near the massive Pyrénées mountains in southern France and their image recurred throughout his work. In a series of drawings made during the 1870s, Redon used the craggy surface and infinite reach of his native landscape to evoke a sense of solitude and isolation. The woman seen here, for example, leans forward and casts her eyes downward as if in resignation.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMelancholyOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.