The Fallen Angel 1905

Curator: This is Odilon Redon's "The Fallen Angel," painted around 1905. It's rendered in oil, showcasing Redon's unique take on symbolism and the figure. Editor: My initial sense is one of uneasy calm, a somber acceptance of something awful. The color palette reinforces that feeling... those subdued blues contrasting with the ruddy, almost feverish, tones of the angel and the strange apparition above. Curator: Precisely. The angel’s downward gaze and hunched posture exude dejection. It resonates with a sense of inner turmoil. His blindness, perhaps self-inflicted or divinely imposed, also draws me to reflect on humanity’s inherent flaws, particularly how we avert our eyes from certain truths. Editor: I immediately thought of rebellion—Lucifer refusing to kneel before mankind, an act that precipitates his exile. The symbol of the blinded or self-blinding figure certainly resonates through time, cropping up in religious and philosophical texts when questioning authority or knowledge. The form hovering in the air is also incredibly complex… is that a dragon? Curator: It might very well be! The presence of the dragon is perhaps the force which pushes the angel over the precipice? Editor: Maybe, in the symbolist fashion, it’s a representation of the sin that led to the fall. Or is the artist’s interpretation simply: reality and myth exist on two planes and constantly fight for superiority and supremacy over each other. In that light the color of Redon's pallete would be very relevant: a red dragon in a blue plane of existance, a battle which brings the angel down... a heavy-weight battle to see which reigns supreme: either human truth or the realm of fantasy and mystery... Curator: The beauty of Redon's work lies in the way he merges classical religious subject matter and renders them incredibly personally. Each of his characters and symbol resonate to create individual reflections and internal worlds for each of us. Editor: Absolutely, It’s why the work continues to be compelling! We keep seeing fresh angles into what makes us humans; or Angels! Even the simple gesture of closed eyes allows for boundless speculation... Curator: Perhaps what he captures most elegantly is the psychological dimension of religious turmoil... not its dogmatic certainties but its existential anxieties. Editor: In summary, this is why this is, more than just another painting about an angel: an opportunity to witness that complex battle and internalisation!