Odilon Redon

Research Point - Nineteenth-century French artist Odilon Redon and his work.

Odilon Redon (1840 - 1916)

Bertrand-Jean was born in Bordeaux on 20th April 1840 and later gained his nickname, Odilon, from his mother. He studied architecture as his father wished but failed his exams.

Odilon's younger brother became and accomplished architecture, whilst Odilon once again took to watercolours. He became a ysymbolist painter and printmaker. He died at the age of 76 on 6th July in Paris.

There is some interesting information on the following web sites:

www.odilonredon.net and www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odilon_Redon

Odilon has an interesting imagination, which shows in his work. There was so little that I could pick in the way of examples of paintings that I liked, as although he may well be a very talented artist, I personally don't like the style in which he paints. A lot of his work included spiders with human heads in strange forms, like the picture to the left.

 http://www.bridgemanart.com/

Credit: Oannes, c.1910 (oil on canvas), Redon, Odilon (1840-1916) / Rijksmuseum Kroller-Muller, Otterlo, Netherlands  / The Bridgeman Art Library

The following drawing was one that I like very much. It has an almost child like form about it with the butterflies looking like they have been placed there for no apparent reason. The bright colours used were typical of this artist.

Battle of the Centaurs (pen & black ink and pencil on paper)

"I have often, as an exercise and as a sustenance, painted before an object down to the smallest accidents of its visual appearance; but the day left me sad and with an unsatiated thirst. The next day I let the other source run, that of imagination, through the recollection of the forms and I was then reassured and appeased." (From wikipedia)