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The Cyclops
Odilon Redon · Symbolism & Art Nouveau
- Artist
- Odilon Redon (1840–1916)
- Date
- c. 1914
- Dimensions
- 65.8 x 52.7 cm
- Medium
- Oil on cardboard mounted on panel
- Location
- Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands
The Cyclops shows the one-eyed giant Polyphemus of Greek myth peering shyly over a rocky hillside at the nymph Galatea, who lies asleep and naked on a flowery slope below, unaware of him.
A closer look
In Ovid's story, Polyphemus is hopelessly in love with Galatea, who loves another. Redon turns the monster into a tender, almost comical figure: his huge single eye gazes with longing and timidity rather than menace. The landscape glows with dreamy, jewel-like colours: violet mountains, turquoise and pink flowers, a golden sky. Late in his life Redon abandoned the dark charcoal drawings that had made him famous for a world of luminous colour, and this painting is one of the most celebrated examples.
More by Odilon Redon
Famous works elsewhere
- The Birth of Venus 1912
- Les Yeux clos 1890
- Saint Sebastian 1900
- Ophelia with a Blue Wimple in the Water 1900
- The Gothic Window 1900
- The Winged Man 1890