Where to See Odilon Redon

Odilon Redon's work can be found in museums around the world. The Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands, holds his painting *The Cyclops* (circa 1898^[3]-1900^[3]). Redon was born in Bordeaux in 1840^[3] and died in Paris in 1916^[3]. He trained as an architect and later as a painter in Paris, before studying black-and-white techniques with etcher Rodolphe Bresdin in Bordeaux. He produced 166 lithographs between 1879 and 1899, in addition to charcoal drawings, pastels, watercolours and oils. Redon's initial work was mostly in black chalk, but he began using colour later in his career. He exhibited at Les XX in 1886, 1887 and 1890; at the Kunstkring in The Hague in 1894; and at the Vienna Secession in 1903. His art explored inner psychological states and dreamlike imagery, and he is associated with Symbolist theories. His work influenced younger Symbolist artists, including the Nabis.

Odilon Redon was born in Bordeaux, where he grew up and began to develop his feeling for art. He went to Paris in 1859^[3] to train as an architect and then as a painter, but after a mental breakdown, he returned to Bordeaux around 1864.

Odilon Redon's works can be seen at National Gallery of Art, Musée d'Orsay, Prints in the National Gallery of Art, and 2 other museums worldwide.

Odilon Redon (1840^[3]-1916^[3]) trained as an architect and painter before turning to black-and-white techniques. He learnt etching and engraving from Bresdin in Bordeaux around 1864^[3]. Redon devoted himself to charcoal drawing after 1879. Between 1879 and 1899, Redon created 166 lithographs, which gained considerable recognition. His charcoal drawings provided a basis for these prints. Redon also produced illustrations, mainly of Symbolist texts, such as Baudelaire’s *Fleurs du Mal*. Redon's prints often feature dreamlike, visionary images. He drew inspiration from artists such as Goya. An 1878 lithograph series was dedicated to Edgar Allan Poe, whose works were translated into French^[3] by Baudelaire and Mallarmé. Gauguin admired Redon's work, and Redon attended Gauguin's farewell banquet before his departure for Tahiti in 1891. Gauguin even took a copy of Redon’s lithograph *Death* with him. Redon's prints were popular in the Low Countries. His imagery moved away from conventional symbolic systems, instead favouring imagery from the subconscious. His work looked forward to Surrealism and back to artists like Bosch and Bruegel.

Odilon Redon (1840^[3]-1916^[3]) created distinctive works that connect late 19th-century Symbolism^[3] with early 20th-century Surrealism. He explored subjective states, dreams, and the power of imagination. His art moved away from direct representation of the visual world. Redon's early work was mostly in black and white, using charcoal and lithography. These works, which he called "noirs", explored themes of darkness, isolation, and the grotesque. Prints such as *The Spider* (1887^[3]) show Redon's skill with tonal variation and unsettling imagery. Later in his career, Redon began to work extensively with colour, especially in pastels and oils. This shift brought a new lightness and fantasy to his art. His flower paintings and mythological scenes are particularly well known. Works such as *Pandora* (1910) display a dreamlike quality and a personal symbolism. Redon's focus on inner experience and non-realist forms influenced later artists. His ability to evoke emotion through colour and form, and his exploration of the subconscious, make his work relevant to contemporary interests in psychology and subjective experience. He provides a link between Romanticism and modern abstraction.

Odilon Redon was born in Bordeaux in 1840^[3]; his father was a Frenchman who made his fortune in Louisiana. He began to develop his feeling for art in Bordeaux.

Odilon Redon is known for his innovative use of various media, particularly charcoal and pastel. He worked in both black and white and in colour, although his colour work is more closely associated with the later part of his career. Initially, Redon worked almost exclusively in charcoal, creating a series of lithographs and drawings that he called his "noirs". These works explored themes of darkness, the subconscious, and the fantastical. His charcoal drawings often feature soft, velvety textures achieved through careful application and blending of the medium. Later in his career, Redon turned to colour, embracing pastel and oil paint. His pastels are notable for their luminosity and delicate hues. He built up layers of pigment to create a sense of depth and atmosphere. Redon's use of colour allowed him to explore new subjects, such as flowers, portraits, and mythological scenes, with a heightened sense of expressiveness. He also produced a number of important decorative screens and wall panels in tempera and oil.

Odilon Redon's art affected several artists and movements. After working primarily in black chalk, Redon started using colour, which increased his appeal to younger artists. Paul Gauguin became a fervent admirer. He derived the notion of the eye within a flower, a symbol he used on several occasions, from Redon's 1883^[3] album, Origines. Gauguin also owned a copy of Redon's lithograph Death, from which he derived the hooded head that appears in the 1897 woodcut Be in love, you will be happy. Redon's imagery, with its convincing unreality and elusiveness, looked forward to Surrealism. His art also looked backward to the tradition of the irrational, typified by artists such as Bosch and Bruegel. The Nabis claimed ownership of Redon's artistic legacy, and the Symbolists also drew on it as a source. Redon's popularity in the Low Countries is significant, and he illustrated poems by the Belgian Symbolist poet and critic Emile Verhaeren.