Odilon Redon

Odilon Redon
Odilon Redon (1840–1916), French, Emerging from the shadows of 19th-century symbolism, his work bridged the eerie and the sublime, blending charcoal-smudged nightmares with bursts of radiant color. Initially dismissed as morbid for his haunting noirs—spidery figures, floating eyes, and spectral flora—he later shocked critics by pivoting to luminous pastels and oils, as if sunlight had fractured his earlier gloom. Redon’s art thrived in duality: the microscopic and the cosmic, decay and rebirth. Influenced by Darwin’s revelations and Hindu philosophy, he painted cyclopean flowers and celestial chariots, suggesting life’s infinite mutations. Though allied with the Symbolists, he resisted labels, preferring to "place the visible at the service of the invisible." His later patronage by influential figures like Mallarmé and Gauguin cemented his legacy, yet it was his willingness to dwell in ambiguity—between dream and reality, terror and wonder—that made him a quiet revolutionary. By the time Matisse and the Fauves hailed him as a precursor, Redon had already vanished into his own myth, leaving behind worlds where a single eyeball could be a planet or a prisoner.
  • Bouquet of Flowers (ca. 1900–1905)

    Bouquet of Flowers (ca. 1900–1905)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A dreamlike cluster of blooms floats against a hazy background, their petals glowing with soft pastel hues. The flowers seem to dissolve at the edges, as if caught between reality and imagination.

  • Évocation (Femme À La Montagne)

    Évocation (Femme À La Montagne)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A woman stands before jagged peaks, her form dissolving into the landscape. The lines blur between flesh and stone, as if the mountain breathes through her. Something pulses beneath the surface—not quite solid, not quite dream.

  • The Buddha (1904)

    The Buddha (1904)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A golden Buddha emerges from swirling darkness, his serene face half-lit. The air hums with quiet power, as if the figure might dissolve into the shadows any moment. Mysticism lingers in the brushstrokes, neither fully present nor entirely dream.

  • Evocation of Roussel (c. 1912)

    Evocation of Roussel (c. 1912)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A spectral figure emerges from swirling darkness, its form hovering between myth and dream. The air hums with unseen energy, as if the veil between worlds has thinned. Colors bleed into each other, dissolving certainty—what’s real slips just beyond reach.

  • Vase of Flowers (1916)

    Vase of Flowers (1916)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A vase overflows with blooms—some delicate, others bold. Their petals seem to glow against the dark, as if lit from within. The flowers don’t just sit; they hum with quiet energy, almost alive. You can almost catch their scent drifting through the stillness.

  • Vase of Flowers (Pink Background) (ca. 1906)

    Vase of Flowers (Pink Background) (ca. 1906)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A burst of delicate blooms rises from the vase, their petals soft against the glowing pink. The flowers seem to hover between reality and dream, their forms dissolving at the edges like half-remembered visions. Something lingers beneath the surface—not just blossoms, but whispers of color and shape.

  • Bouquet in a Chinese Vase (ca. 1912–14)

    Bouquet in a Chinese Vase (ca. 1912–14)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    Vibrant blooms burst from the porcelain vase, their petals brushing against its delicate blue patterns. The flowers seem to pulse with life against the dark background, as if caught between dream and reality. That Chinese vase anchors them—an unexpected harmony of East and West in a single, luminous arrangement.

  • Buddha (1906 – 1907)

    Buddha (1906 – 1907)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A golden Buddha emerges from swirling darkness, his serene face half-lost in shadow. The glow around his head dissolves into mist, as if enlightenment itself might vanish with a breath. No lotus throne or temple—just this floating presence, both solid and ethereal, radiating quiet power through the void.

  • Five Butterflies (c. 1912)

    Five Butterflies (c. 1912)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    Five delicate wings hover in soft washes of color—pale blues, muted yellows, faint pinks—as if caught mid-flight. Their forms blur between realism and dream, each stroke dissolving into the next. Not quite insects, not quite spirits, they drift just beyond reach.