Self-Portrait c. 1880 - 1885

Editor: This is Odilon Redon's "Self-Portrait," housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a small drawing, roughly 11 by 9 inches, and the delicate rendering gives it an almost ethereal quality. What strikes you about it? Curator: The composition is quite deliberate. Note how Redon positions his face asymmetrically, allowing a vast expanse of negative space. This void accentuates the intricate hatching and cross-hatching that defines the contours of his face, thus imbuing the work with a sense of depth and self-reflection. Editor: So, you see the emptiness around him as a key part of the portrait? Curator: Precisely. The void functions as an active element, framing and, indeed, amplifying the portrait's psychological intensity. It’s the semiotic space that encourages contemplation. Editor: That's a really interesting way to think about it. I will definitely be looking at the negative space in other drawings from now on! Curator: Indeed, the formal elements provide the symbolic key.