Et partout ce sont des Colonnes de basalte, ... la lumière tombe
des voûtes (And on every side are columns of basalt, ... the
light falls from the vaulted roof) Plate 3 of 24 This view of
the Palace in Alexandria creates a shifting space out of the
fluid interplay of light and dark. Unlike the grainy, textured
blacks and gradual tonal variations found elsewhere (see Dans
l'ombre), light and dark areas appear flat and strongly
delineated. The ink was brushed on rather than drawn with the
crayon and this is what has given the black its liquidity. Redon
used the fluid appearance of the ink to create a face emerging
from the shadows between the columns. The difference in style
can be linked to Redon having used the accomplished and
inventive lithographer, Auguste Clot to print this image. The
background too is clear and untextured, so the light similarly
flows in through the portal-like window. Rather than gradual
tonal gradations, the black and white is sharply juxtaposed,
giving a decorative appearance to the a