Odilon Redon

Symbolist painter Odilon Redon (1840-1916) explored the world of dreams, fantasy, and imagination with works that foreshadowed Surrealism. Born in Bordeaux to a prosperous family, he studied architecture before turning to art. His master Rodolphe Bresdin exerted an important early influence. For the first half of his career, Redon worked almost exclusively in black and white, creating haunting charcoal drawings and lithographs he called "noirs." These featured floating eyeballs, spiders, and fantastic creatures drawn from his subconscious.

During the 1890s, Redon transitioned dramatically to color, working in pastel and oil with luminous intensity. Flowers became a recurring subject, particularly after 1900. His eye balloon floating above the world became a personal metaphor for the questing soul. Redon's visionary work influenced both Symbolist writers like Huysmans and later Surrealists including Marcel Duchamp. He was associated with the Nabis and exhibited with the Impressionists. His works are at the Musée d'Orsay, Museum of Modern Art, and Art Institute of Chicago, which holds the largest collection of his pastels outside France.