Galloping Horseman
1866
Medium
Etching on light gray China paper laid down on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 6.3 × 13.5 cm (2 1/2 × 5 3/8 in.); Plate: 7.5 × 14.7 cm (3 × 5 13/16 in.); Sheet: 16 × 22.2 cm (6 5/16 × 8 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
79245
Art Historical Context
Odilon Redon's *Galloping Horseman*1866) captures a fleeting moment of raw energy through the ancient technique of etching. At just 26, the French artist—later a pioneer of Symbolism—produced this dynamic print during his early experimentation with black-and-white media. The image, measuring a compact 6.3 × 13.5 cm, depicts a rider in furious motion, evoking the Romantic thrill of speed and power amid the industrial stirrings of Second Empire France. Printed on delicate light gray China paper and laid down on sturdy ivory wove paper, the work showcases etching's precision: acid biting into a ...
About the Artist
Odilon Redon · 1840–1916
Odilon Redon (1840-1916) was a French Symbolist painter, printmaker, and pastellist whose visionary art bridged the 19th-century Symbolist movement and 20th-century Surrealism. Born Bertrand Redon in Bordeaux on April 20, 1840, he earned the nickname "Odilon" from his mother Odile. His father, who made his fortune in the Louisiana slave trade, conceived Odilon in New Orleans before the family retu...