In Redon’s world, flowers might float in the void, eyes can stare without faces, and shadowy figures linger between reality and imagination. Odilon Redon’s symbolism embodies what it means to explore dark symbolism, offering viewers more than visual beauty, it challenges perception and evokes introspection. During his life, he faces numerous obstacles that not only shaped his future, but left a past worth expressing.
“When I am alone, I love the wide roads. There, I have conversations with myself. My free steps move easily and my body leaves my spirit free of obstacles; it discourses, it reasons, it presses me with questions.” ― Odilon Redon, To Myself: Notes on Life, Art and Artists
Who Shaped Odilon Redon
A key figure in Redon’s intellectual development was Armand Clavaud (1828–1890), a self-taught botanist whom he met around the age of seventeen.
Clavaud sparked Redon’s passion for reading, introducing him to a vast range of works which includes Edgar Allan Poe and Baudelaire to contemporary scientific writings on evolution, Spinoza’s philosophy, and texts on Indian thought.
Redon’s engagement with literature is reflected in works in our collection, including his explorations of the Buddha and illustrations for a now-unpublished collection of poems by his contemporary, Stéphane Mallarmé.
These pieces offer a glimpse into the rich literary world that shaped his imagination and artistic vision.
The Evolution of Vision: From Shadows to Sacred Colour
Redon’s artistic journey is a symbolic transformation, a movement from darkness into light. This isn’t a metaphorical statement, his life’s work is the metaphor.
Through every phase, from the shadowed depths of his noirs to the radiant visions of his later surrealism, Redon used art not merely to depict the world, but to symbolically translate the unseen: emotion, spirituality, and the subconscious. His entire oeuvre becomes a visual language of inner transformation, a lifelong meditation rendered in form, texture, and colour.
His early works, rendered in charcoal and lithography, known as noirs, envelop the viewer in shadowy dreamscapes, rich with mystery, melancholy, and the unseen forces of the subconscious. These monochrome visions whispered of inner worlds and spiritual unrest.
But in the 1890s, a profound shift occurred. Embracing pastels and oils, Redon moved beyond shadow into vivid chromatic expression.
Influenced by Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, and the refined aesthetics of Japanese art, his palette bloomed into radiant colour and otherworldly form. Figures once cloaked in shadow were reborn in luminous surrealism, evoking a transcendent inner reality.
Redon’s later works did more than depict, they revealed. In this luminous phase, he became a bridge between Symbolism and the surreal, offering not just images, but visions.
Summer Sadness by Stéphane Mallarmé
The sun, on the sand, O sleeping wrestler,
Warms a languid bath in the gold of your hair,
Melting the incense on your hostile features,
Mixing an amorous liquid with the tears.
The immutable calm of this white burning,
O my fearful kisses, makes you say, sadly,
‘Will we ever be one mummified winding,
Under the ancient sands and palms so happy?’
But your tresses are a tepid river,
Where the soul that haunts us drowns, without a shiver
And finds the Nothingness you cannot know!
I’ll taste the unguent of your eyelids’ shore,
To see if it can grant to the heart, at your blow,
The insensibility of stones and the azure.
Discover the full range of Stéphane Mallarmé’s poetry, including his major works like Un coup de dés jamais n’abolira le hasard and L’après-midi d’un faune, along with lesser-known pieces. These texts are available in both their original French and English translations, providing a comprehensive view of Mallarmé’s literary genius.
Redon’s Symbolism will change you
Odilon Redon’s work laid the foundation for Surrealism and modern psychological art. His ability to translate inner emotions and subconscious visions into compelling visuals continues to influence contemporary artists and thinkers. Collectors, students, and art enthusiasts study his pieces to understand how symbolism can evoke deep emotional and intellectual responses.
Where to See Odilon Redon’s Artwork in Person
Many of his masterpieces can be seen at major museums such as the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where his dark symbolism and surreal visions come vividly to life.
The Dark World of Odilon Redon
In this in-depth video by Blind Dweller, it’s clear that the enigmatic world of Odilon Redon is riddled with strange dreams, haunting nightmares, and fantastical creatures. But Redon’s genius didn’t stop with charcoal alone. His later paintings and pastel drawings reveal a more abstract, vibrant side of his imagination. You will also discover how his dark and luminous works together reveal the full depth of his artistry, offering insight into one of the greatest symbolist painters.
