Oedipus and the Sphinx
Artist: Gustave Moreau (French, 1826–1898)
Original Dimensions: 81 1/4" x 41 1/4"
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
About Artwork: (1864) "The legendary Greek prince Oedipus confronts the malevolent Sphinx, who torments travelers with a riddle: What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? Remains of victims who answered incorrectly litter the foreground. (The solution is the human, who crawls as a baby, strides upright in maturity, and uses a cane in old age.) Moreau made his mark with this painting at the Paris Salon of 1864. Despite the growing prominence of depictions of everyday life, he portrayed biblical, mythological, and imagined stories. His otherworldly imagery attracted a younger generation that included Odilon Redon and Oscar Wilde." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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