Research point; Odilon Redon

Odilon Redon, photo taken from Bridgeman Education

Wow! What an artist. I really enjoyed this research project (it is in my sketchbook). I had never heard of the man before but am so impressed, especially because you can see so clearly through his artwork how his life progressed and changed. He was a quiet man, and it may seem a silly thing to say but I think you can tell through his work that he was so. There's something thoughtful and tranquil about his style. The colours he eventually began to use in his later life are not garish or showy, they are soft and almost serene. His strange and at times slightly disturbing earlier works have a mystical thing going on - they aren't so much scary as they are fantastical and just peculiar. He had some smart things to say about art too. I especially like this quote; "The value of art lies in its power to increase our moral force or establish its heightening influence." It seems that despite his otherwordly, and one could say underground and alternative art work, he felt that art itself was a unifying force. Something for everyone and something that will make the world a better place.