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.
  • Pandora (ca. 1914)

    Pandora (ca. 1914)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A woman emerges from swirling darkness, her pale form cradling a glowing vessel. Shadows cling to her limbs like smoke, while the box in her hands pulses with eerie light—both gift and curse in one. The air hums with unspoken myth, that moment before revelation cracks the world open.

  • Vision; vase of flowers (1900)

    Vision; vase of flowers (1900)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A vase blooms with flowers that seem to hover between dream and decay—petals too vivid, stems unnervingly still. The air hums with something unspoken, as if the arrangement holds a secret just beyond reach.

  • Large Vase with Flowers (c. 1912)

    Large Vase with Flowers (c. 1912)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A riot of blooms spills from the vase, their petals glowing like stained glass against the dark. The flowers seem to pulse with an inner light, as if dreaming themselves into existence. Something wild lingers beneath the surface of this still life—a whisper of mystery tangled in the stems.

  • Figure under a blossoming tree (1904 – 1905)

    Figure under a blossoming tree (1904 – 1905)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A lone figure stands beneath a tree heavy with blossoms, its branches dissolving into soft smudges of color. The air hums with quiet mystery—neither day nor night, dream nor reality. Petals seem to hover between falling and floating upward, caught in some unseen current.

  • Still Life with Flowers (1905)

    Still Life with Flowers (1905)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A cluster of blooms floats against darkness, petals glowing like embers. Their forms blur between real and imagined—soft edges dissolving into shadow. This is no ordinary bouquet; these flowers hum with hidden life, pulsing just beyond sight. Something stirs beneath their delicate surfaces.

  • Vase of Flowers (c. 1905)

    Vase of Flowers (c. 1905)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A vase overflows with blooms—soft petals blur into dreamlike hues, their forms dissolving at the edges. The flowers seem to breathe, caught between reality and something stranger, as if they might fade into the air or grow roots through the table.

  • Pandora (1910-1912)

    Pandora (1910-1912)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    Pandora emerges from swirling darkness, her face half-lit by an unseen glow. The box rests lightly in her hands—its contents unknown, its weight unbearable. Shadows curl around her like smoke, hinting at the chaos about to spill forth. A single moment before everything changes.

  • Large Green Vase with Mixed Flowers (1910 – 1912)

    Large Green Vase with Mixed Flowers (1910 – 1912)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A green vase overflows with blooms—some delicate, others bold—their petals almost trembling against the dark. The flowers seem to whisper secrets, their colors glowing like fragments of a dream.

  • Blumenstrauß in brauner Tonvase (ca. 1900 – 1916)

    Blumenstrauß in brauner Tonvase (ca. 1900 – 1916)

    Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

    A loose bouquet spills from a brown vase, petals soft yet vibrant against the muted tones. The flowers seem to hover between dream and decay, their delicate forms dissolving at the edges. Something lingers beneath the surface—not just blossoms, but whispers of color and shadow.