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Fernand Khnopff / Caresses
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Caresses

1896 · Oil on canvas

A sphinx with the body of a cheetah and the face of a woman presses her cheek against an androgynous youth, a dreamlike Symbolist meditation on desire and power.

ArtistFFernand Khnopff
MuseumRRoyal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
MovementSSymbolism
LocationBrussels, Belgium
Dimensions50.5 × 151 cm
SourceWikidata Q30880783

Why it matters

Khnopff's painting is famed for its depiction of androgyny. Khnopff's painting reinterprets Gustave Moreau's Oedipus and the Sphinx.

Did you know?

  • It was painted in 1896.
  • David Bowie's Diamond Dogs album cover bears striking similarities to it.
  • It featured in the 1980 BBC series 100 Great Paintings.

Based on the Wikipedia article Caress of the Sphinx (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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