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Lot Essay
The fables that Redon selected from classical mythology are those which may be interpreted as being symbolic of the artist in the pursuit of beauty and truth. Among the figures he featured are Apollo, leader of the Muses and the god of archery, prophecy, music and healing; as well as his son (by a mortal woman) Phaëthon, whose joyride in his father's chariot led to his downfall and served as a lesson to those who would let zeal and arrogance get the better of more measured Apollonian qualities. Redon also depicted Orpheus, another son of Apollo by a mortal woman, whose skills as a musician rivaled those of his father. He was torn to pieces by the frenzied female followers of the wine-god Dionysus, representing another unfortunate triumph of darker human passions over the poetic soul.
However, the mythical figure which Redon found most emblematic of his vision of art and nature was neither human nor a god, but a fabulous beast, the winged horse Pegasus. In Greek mythology Pegasus was associated with the arts. He was born from sea-foam (like Aphrodite, goddess of beauty) and the blood of the slaughtered Medusa. Bellerophon tamed and rode Pegasus using a golden bridle given him by Athena, goddess of wisdom. Together they killed the fire-breathing serpent Chimaera. Bellerophon then attempted to ride Pegasus into heaven, but was thrown when Zeus sent a gadfly who bit Pegasus, yet another story of human arrogance come to naught. Pegasus, untainted by such human frailties, was alone allowed to rise to the heavens and was made a constellation by the gods.
The present work merges two adventures from the career of this noble beast. In a battle between the Muses and the daughters of Pieros, Mount Helicon (Parnassus) was raised from the ground. Pegasus ascended to the summit and gave the peak a kick, from which sprang the soothing waters waters of the fountain Hippocrene. The Muses became the guardians of Helicon, and the keepers of Pegasus. Twisting on the ground below is the serpent Chimaera (sometimes misidentified as Hydra, which the hero Hercules vanquished in another myth). For Redon the white form of Pegasus represented the human soul in its poetic purity and nobility, existing in a finely-tuned balance with its fundamental animal nature. Free, yet always attending to the welfare of humankind, Pegasus rears up in triumph over baser passions and instincts.
However, the mythical figure which Redon found most emblematic of his vision of art and nature was neither human nor a god, but a fabulous beast, the winged horse Pegasus. In Greek mythology Pegasus was associated with the arts. He was born from sea-foam (like Aphrodite, goddess of beauty) and the blood of the slaughtered Medusa. Bellerophon tamed and rode Pegasus using a golden bridle given him by Athena, goddess of wisdom. Together they killed the fire-breathing serpent Chimaera. Bellerophon then attempted to ride Pegasus into heaven, but was thrown when Zeus sent a gadfly who bit Pegasus, yet another story of human arrogance come to naught. Pegasus, untainted by such human frailties, was alone allowed to rise to the heavens and was made a constellation by the gods.
The present work merges two adventures from the career of this noble beast. In a battle between the Muses and the daughters of Pieros, Mount Helicon (Parnassus) was raised from the ground. Pegasus ascended to the summit and gave the peak a kick, from which sprang the soothing waters waters of the fountain Hippocrene. The Muses became the guardians of Helicon, and the keepers of Pegasus. Twisting on the ground below is the serpent Chimaera (sometimes misidentified as Hydra, which the hero Hercules vanquished in another myth). For Redon the white form of Pegasus represented the human soul in its poetic purity and nobility, existing in a finely-tuned balance with its fundamental animal nature. Free, yet always attending to the welfare of humankind, Pegasus rears up in triumph over baser passions and instincts.