Caresses
1896
Fernand Khnopff’s 1896 masterpiece reimagines the myth of Oedipus and the Sphinx, but forget the terrifying monster of legend. Here, the Sphinx takes the gentle, androgynous face of the artist’s own sister, Marguerite, wrapped in a sleek leopard body as she intimately nuzzles a brooding Oedipus. This Belgian Symbolist work trades heroic drama for eerie intimacy, set against a dreamlike, desolate landscape that feels more like a quiet reverie than an ancient myth. The strange staff held by the figure, topped with a butterfly and an eye, hints at the hidden meanings and psychological depth that defined the movement’s obsession with the subconscious.
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