There Were Also Embryonic Beings (1885): Art, History and Details

There Were Also Embryonic Beings (1885) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916); Lemercier & Cie..

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This series is one of many that Odilon Redon created throughout his career. Nearly two-thirds of his lithographs took the form of portfolios—prints connected conceptually by a theme or narrative and physically by a folder or binding. Such works were often dispersed over time, but Cleveland was fortunate to acquire several complete sets with their original covers during the 1920s. Dating from Redon’s early experimentation with lithography, Homage to Goya was intended as a tribute to 18th-century Spanish master Francisco de Goya, whose interest in dreams and the subconscious influenced Redon. The six seemingly unrelated images celebrate Goya’s ambiguity and collectively suggest the introspection and isolation of artistic practice.

Object facts

• Title: There Were Also Embryonic Beings
• Date: 1885
• Creator attribution: Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916); Lemercier & Cie.
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Print
• Technique: lithograph on China paper laid on wove paper
• Dimensions: Image: 23.8 x 20 cm (9 3/8 x 7 7/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Lithograph
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1927.344.4

A detail from the museum

This portfolio was published in an edition of 50, one of which Redon sent to poet Stéphane Mallarmé soon after Redon became a frequent participant in a literary salon held regularly at Mallarmé's home.

Collection credit

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.