His Early Life

Bertrand Jean Redon (1840-1916), better known as Odilon Redon, was a French Symbolist painter and printmaker. He got the nickname ‘Odilon’ from his mother’s first name, Odile. His mother was a Frech Creole woman from Louisiana. His family was among the prosperous ones in Bordeaux. Odion was not keeping the best of health as he was probably suffering from epilepsy. He was left in the care of his uncle and grew up in the Medoc region of France, on the family’s winemaking estate.

His Education

Redon returned to his family in Bordeaux and attended school for the first time at the age of eleven. He began drawing at an early age and won a drawing prize at the age of ten. In 1855, Redon’s parents arranged for him to study with Stanislas Gorin, who left a profound influence on him. Gorin was an expert watercolourist and he introduced Redon to famous romantic artists like Eugene Delacroix and Francisco Goya and encouraged him to copy their works. He also introduced Redon to the artworks of famous artists like Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Gustave Moreau. At the age of 15, Redon’s father compelled him to pursue a career in architecture. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Redon failed the entrance exams for architectural studies. In Paris, he developed a valuable friendship with th famous botanist Armand Clavaud, who introduced Redon to the literary works of the famous writers. He also prompted Redon to the sacred texts of Hinduism and Buddhism.

His First Major Work

Redon continued painting watercolours in the style of Gorin. He create his major work ‘Roland a Roncevaux, which was the portrayal of the romantic hero of the crusades. His painting style matched that of the famous painter Delacroix. In 1864, Redon started studying under the famous academic painter, Jean Leon Gerome and remembered his educational experience with Gerome for a long time in his life. In 1865, Redon returned to his family home in Bordeaux and took up sculpture. He made the acquaintance of Rodolphe Bresdin, who later became his mentor, teaching him how to make etchings, lithographs and engravings. Unfortunately, the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 interrupted his creative career. He returned to painting in 1872.

After the war, he relocated to Paris and concentrated on charcoal and lithography as his primary mediums. However, it wasn’t until 1878 that his art began to attract a following. He produced his first lithograph album, Dans le Reve, the following year. Despite this, Redon mainly remained unknown until the publication of Joris-Karl Huysmans’ cult novel, Rebours, in 1884. The aristocrat featured in the narrative was a fan of Redon’s work.

In the 1890s, he began painting using pastels and oils, which he used throughout his career. He exhibited at Durand alongside Ruel’s the Nabis in 1899.

Towards the end of his life, Redon’s fame grew considerably. He received the Legion of Honor in 1903 from the French government. IN 1913, Andre Mellerio, a publisher, issued a catalogue of his prints. In the same year, Redon’s name was included in the famous Armory Show in New York where a large number of his works were on display. When Andre Mellerio launched an etchings and lithographs catalogue in 1913, his reputation skyrocketed. This was published in 1923 by Mellerio with the title Odilon Redon: Painter, Designer, and Sculptor.

Odilon Redon’s Legacy

For the vast majority of his work, Redon’s influence can be divided into two categories: his late paintings and pastels and his early noirs. For the Nabis, it was Redon’s use of color that had the most impact. As Pierre Bonnard put it, “All of our generations fell under his charm and received his advice.” On the other hand, Maurice Denis acknowledged Redon for advancing his own artistic progress. The pastels of Redon influenced the Fauvist palette of Henri Matisse.

Moreover, Redon’s noirs have had a far greater impact on modern art because they contain his most excellent creativity and invention. For example, André Breton, the de facto leader of the Surrealists, was a particular fan of the surreal character of those charcoals and lithographs. As a result of Redon’s art’s suggestiveness, the audience is encouraged to engage in the interpretation of the work rather than being told what to think.

Odilon Redon’s Notable Works

Ophelie la cape bleue sur les eaux by Odilon Redon 1900 – Stretched Canvas

Vase of Flowers (1916) by Odilon Redon – Stretched Canvas

Reflection (1900-1905) Odilon-Redon – Stretched Canvas

There Was Perhaps a First Vision Attempted by the Flower (1883) by Odilon Redon- Stretched Canvas

The Fallen Angel Spreads His Black Wings (1886) by Odilon Redon: Stretched Canvas

Nasturtiums (1905) by Odilon Redon – Stretched Canvas

Portraits of mythical and literary topics, as well as floral still lifes and decorative works, were Redon’s subjects of concentration after 1900. Andre Masson, a twentieth-century Surrealist artist, used the term “lyrical chromatics” to describe the bright colours he used in his work.

Nasturtiums is one of his floral still lifes of that time, which is tinted mainly by symbolism. Nasturtium plants are adored for their vibrant, jewel-toned hues, and in this painting, Redon adorned them with an even more jewel-like appearance. As a result, this masterpiece is unique in character yet has a sharp mark unique only to Redon’s art.

Pegasus and Bellerophon (1888) by Odilon Redon- Stretched Canvas

Melancholy (1876) by Odilon Redon – Stretched Canvas

Evocation of Roussel (1912) by Odilon Redon – Stretched Canvas

Armor (1891) by Odilon Redon – Stretched Canvas

Apollo (1905—1910) by Odilon Redon- Stretched Canvas

When he began painting in pastels in the 1890s, Redon’s work underwent a dramatic shift, as he finally started using colour for the first time in his career. The artist commented on his move to colour in 1913, writing: “If the art of an artist is the song of his life, a solemn or sad melody, I must have sounded the key-note of gaiety in color.”

Redon’s connection with Gauguin in the 1890s led him to meet the Nabis’ young artists. These young French artists’ contributions were essential in the transition from Impressionism and academic painting to abstract art, symbolism, and other early trends of Modernism. Having been inspired by these younger artists, Redon started adopting their Japonisme, expressive use of colour, and attentive detailing on decoration. Breton Village carries the trace of Nabis.

Vase of Flowers (Pink Background) ca. 1906 Odilon Redon French- Stretched Canvas

Redon, a French symbolist artist, and lithographer of tremendous poetic insight and imagination, is best known for his dramatic paintings and lithographs. His prints, which anticipated the Surrealist and Dadaist movements, explore haunted, weird, and frequently macabre subjects. In 1900, color simply became another tool for him to explore worlds beyond the visible, allowing him to use it for expression rather than imitation. Other critiques have linked Redon’s acceptance of color to his own contentment.

His oils and pastels, primarily still lifes with flowers, earned him the respect of Henri Matisse and other painters as prominent colorists. This beautiful vase appeared on his canvas repeatedly and is one of the most notable contributions to his flower still lifes.

Sita (1893) by Odilon Redon – Stretched Canvas

While talking about his Sita, Odilon Redon states, “A title is justified only when it is vague, indeterminate and when it aims even confusedly at the equivocal. My works inspire and do not offer explanations. They resolve nothing. They place us, just as music does, in the ambiguous world of the indeterminate.”

Until recently, the pastel Sita was known as Evocation. Based on Redon’s own words, researchers at the Art Institute of Chicago established that the figure in the portrait is Sita, Rama’s wife, who is the hero of the Indian epic Ramayana. When he was studying architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts, his botanist friend, Armand Clavaud introduced him to Hinduism and Buddhism’s sacred text. His later works significantly attributed the religious awakening and his deep interest in Hinduism and Buddhism. 

After more than two decades of working nearly solely in black and white, Redon’s talents as a colorist were shown in the bright pastels and paintings he produced after 1895. His attention to detail paid off when he created this bouquet of poppies, cornflowers, and other well-known flowers in the form of whimsical re-creations. Redon’s artistic goal of placing “the logic of the visible at the service of the invisible” is upheld in late flower paintings like this one.

Bouquet in a Chinese Vase 

Redon had a collection of vases that he and his wife, Camille, used to arrange the flowers that were the frequent subject of his late still-life paintings. The beautifully patterned white vessel seen in this piece can be found in several other works, including Vase of Flowers (Pink Background) from around 1906.

Odilon Redon is by far one of the most interesting characters in the world of painting, even though he was far less flamboyant in his life. His art is abstract and highly expressive. It can communicate pain and joy at the same time. It can show melancholy and dread in a single scene. His paintings give a glimpse into the depth of his character and his dreams. That, in many ways, sums up the beauty of his work and explains why he is still one of the most sought-after painters more than a century after his death.