Axial Commons Image Treasury
Dark charcoal drawing of a large shadowy profile head with a hooded crown, emerging from smudged dark background with pale light near the bottom edge.

The Sphinx

A dark charcoal drawing shows a large, shadowy head in profile, its features emerging from a murky background of smudged tones. A massive, hooded form rises above a faint, pale ground at the lower edge, where light touches a few sprigs of foliage. The soft, blurred strokes and stumped shading create a brooding, dreamlike mood.

Artist
Odilon Redon
Date
1883
Medium
Various charcoals, with touches of black chalk, stumping, wiping, and erasing, on pale-pink wove paper with red and blue fibers altered to a
Source
Art Institute of Chicago
Size
1686 × 2349 px
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Public domain · Art Institute of Chicago releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1883).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Art Institute of Chicago, is_public_domain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Art Institute of Chicago, David Adler Collection

Español: La esfinge, dibujo en carboncillo de Odilon Redon

Un oscuro dibujo en carboncillo muestra una gran cabeza sombría de perfil, con rasgos que emergen de un fondo turbio de tonos difuminados. Una forma masiva, cubierta como con capucha, se eleva sobre una franja pálida en el borde inferior, donde la luz toca unas ramas de follaje. Los trazos suaves y el sombreado difuminado crean un ambiente melancólico y onírico.

Português: A Esfinge, desenho em carvão de Odilon Redon

Um desenho escuro em carvão mostra uma grande cabeça sombria de perfil, com traços que surgem de um fundo turvo de tons esfumados. Uma forma maciça, coberta como por um capuz, ergue-se sobre uma faixa pálida na borda inferior, onde a luz toca alguns ramos de folhagem. Os traços suaves e o sombreado esfumado criam um clima melancólico e onírico.

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