Pandore (c.1914)

Redon, Odilon (1840-1916)

Pandore (Pandora)
c.1914
Oil on canvas, 143.5 x 62.2 cm
Metropolitan Museum of ArtNew York

In classical mythology, Pandora was a supremely beautiful woman created by the gods and sent to Earth to live among mortals. Redon depicts her nude, in a state of perfect innocence, and surrounded by flowers, like the biblical Eve in the Garden of Eden. According to legend, when Pandora opened the box cradled in her arms, she released all the evils destined to plague humanity, bringing to an end the idyllic Golden Age. This painting is thought to have been made about 1914, on the eve of World War I, when the themes of harmony destroyed and chaos unleashed may have had heightened resonance. (MET)

Compare:

Redon, Odilon (1840-1916)
Pandore
19101912
National Gallery of ArtWashington