Edouard Vuillard 1900

Odilon Redon etched this drypoint portrait of Édouard Vuillard in 1900. The profile view, reminiscent of ancient Roman portraiture, immediately suggests a figure of importance, imbuing the subject with a sense of timeless dignity. Consider the beard, a symbol of wisdom and maturity across cultures. In ancient Greece, philosophers and gods were often depicted with beards, signifying their profound knowledge. Yet, the wispy, almost ethereal quality of Vuillard’s beard, rendered through Redon’s delicate drypoint technique, introduces a modern ambivalence. This isn't the solid, commanding beard of a Zeus or a Moses, but rather a more fragile, introspective symbol. The psychological weight of the image lies in its delicate balance of strength and vulnerability, reflecting the complex anxieties of the modern age. It speaks to the shifting sands of meaning, the constant reinterpretation of symbols as they journey through time.