The breadth and flatness of the frontal bone 1896

Odilon Redon created this charcoal drawing, titled "The breadth and flatness of the frontal bone." Encapsulated within an oval frame, a profile emerges. Here, Redon isn't just depicting a human head; he is presenting a physiognomic study, drawing from the 19th-century pseudo-science that sought to read character through facial features. Such an approach echoes the ancient Greek concept of "gnomon," where forms reveal inner truths. Consider the gaze, averted and contemplative—a recurring motif in art history. Think of the pensive Madonnas of the Renaissance or the melancholic figures of Romanticism. This shared posture suggests a connection to a deeper emotional state, one of introspection and perhaps sorrow, a universal human experience. We see how these visual symbols persist and evolve, carrying fragments of our collective past into the present. Redon taps into a wellspring of cultural memory, inviting us to consider how we interpret and project meaning onto the human form.