Armor, Odilon Redon, 1891

Odilon Redon's mysterious drawing of a helmeted woman exudes mystery and imagination, her headdress bristling with sharp needles like thorns from the Rose de Jericho. Through his virtuosic handling of charcoal medium, he creates an otherworldly creature who speaks to subconscious fears about female sexuality - or perhaps symbolizes its fecundity? The power lies in our interpretation; it is up to us viewers how we choose to see this tantalizing enigma cloaked in charcoals shades ranging from dark velvet hues through shimmering pallid skin tones.