I discovered the paintings of Odilon Redon (1840-1916), a French artist and Symbolist working mostly in charcoal, pastel, and oil, several years ago when I first started painting.
I remember seeing his work in art books for the first time, when I was a teenager. The sense of mystery is immediate with his artwork. It also feels contemporary.
Deborah- Thanks for sharing these. I haven't yet encountered the works of Odilon Redon. So this is a welcomed treat. I'll definitely be looking into their work some more. :)
Your pairing of Redon with this lovely variation on a Chopin Nocturne was as perfect as Champagne with Camembert. I was first introduced to Redon via X/Twitter, where a contingent of art-lovers still manages to fly beneath the political radar. But your essay helps me understand the mythic and mythological underpinnings of his work. Now I have a better idea of where he's coming from. I loved looking at the paintings again while listening to the Chopin. What a gift this post is. Thank you, Deborah.
Aw, I'm glad you like that pairing, Andrew. I had to search a while to find a piece that fit so perfectly. I discovered Redon when I started working with pastel painting. He's a master at that. And then I fell in love with his boats. He has so many of those and each is a mystical, dreamy masterpiece.
I, too, love Redon. His dreamy and, at times, nightmarish imagery is wild. The strange rabbit-like figures, huge eyes, floating heads, and plant-like structures that inhabit many of his pieces are essentially Surrealism decades before the movement. I think his work definitely got darker and stranger after the war (Franco-Prussian War). For somebody whose paintings used vibrant color, he was also a master at using black (especially in his prints).
The gentle piano of Lawson's Chopin interpretation is almost like Redon's soft flutter of brush marks & dapples of vibrant color and light in 'Evocation of Butterflies' and 'The Yellow Sail.'
I was kind of shocked when I discovered his darker paintings. They didn't fit at all my sense of him. But they do complement the dark and light of life, and anyone living through the brutality of war would be compelled to express that as well.
I'm glad you mentioned his vibrant colors and the yellow sail and butterflies, two of my favorites that I painted as well using watercolor. I discovered I could use the paint right from the tube and get that kind of saturated color that I love. I learned a lot copying him.
I remember seeing his work in art books for the first time, when I was a teenager. The sense of mystery is immediate with his artwork. It also feels contemporary.
You are right about that, he does have a contemporary feel too.
Deborah- Thanks for sharing these. I haven't yet encountered the works of Odilon Redon. So this is a welcomed treat. I'll definitely be looking into their work some more. :)
I'm so happy to introduce him to you. Thank you for coming here.
Your pairing of Redon with this lovely variation on a Chopin Nocturne was as perfect as Champagne with Camembert. I was first introduced to Redon via X/Twitter, where a contingent of art-lovers still manages to fly beneath the political radar. But your essay helps me understand the mythic and mythological underpinnings of his work. Now I have a better idea of where he's coming from. I loved looking at the paintings again while listening to the Chopin. What a gift this post is. Thank you, Deborah.
Aw, I'm glad you like that pairing, Andrew. I had to search a while to find a piece that fit so perfectly. I discovered Redon when I started working with pastel painting. He's a master at that. And then I fell in love with his boats. He has so many of those and each is a mystical, dreamy masterpiece.
I, too, love Redon. His dreamy and, at times, nightmarish imagery is wild. The strange rabbit-like figures, huge eyes, floating heads, and plant-like structures that inhabit many of his pieces are essentially Surrealism decades before the movement. I think his work definitely got darker and stranger after the war (Franco-Prussian War). For somebody whose paintings used vibrant color, he was also a master at using black (especially in his prints).
The gentle piano of Lawson's Chopin interpretation is almost like Redon's soft flutter of brush marks & dapples of vibrant color and light in 'Evocation of Butterflies' and 'The Yellow Sail.'
I was kind of shocked when I discovered his darker paintings. They didn't fit at all my sense of him. But they do complement the dark and light of life, and anyone living through the brutality of war would be compelled to express that as well.
I'm glad you mentioned his vibrant colors and the yellow sail and butterflies, two of my favorites that I painted as well using watercolor. I discovered I could use the paint right from the tube and get that kind of saturated color that I love. I learned a lot copying him.