On the Horizon, the Angel of Certitude, and in the Dark Sky, A Questioning Glance 1882

Odilon Redon made this lithograph, titled ‘On the Horizon, the Angel of Certitude, and in the Dark Sky, A Questioning Glance,’ without a specific date. Its evocative imagery speaks to the Symbolist movement's fascination with the subconscious and the world of dreams. Made in France, its cultural context is a late 19th-century society grappling with rapid industrialization and scientific advancements that challenged traditional beliefs. Redon's art offered an alternative to the dominant Realist aesthetic promoted by institutions like the French Academy. By embracing subjective experience, Redon critiqued the positivist mindset that sought to explain the world through reason alone. The questioning glance in the sky and the ambiguous nature of the angel, poised between the material and spiritual realms, invite us to interrogate the very foundations of certainty. To fully understand Redon's artistic vision, one must delve into the literary and philosophical currents of his time. Accessing period journals, letters, and exhibition reviews, we can reconstruct the intellectual debates that shaped Redon's art.