Posts tagged with ‘decadence’

Since my post on Rippl-Ronai I’ve been reading more about Les Nabis, and I wanted to share some interesting tid-bits on another artist associated with that group of French avant-gardists: Odilon Redon. Redon gained recognition after the publication of Karl Huysmans’ controversial novel Au Rebours (1884); the novel featured a decadent, aristocratic character who collected Redon’s art work (just a side note: Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray is said to have been inspired by Huysman’s novel).

Huysmans was a fan of Redon’s work, and he recounted his impressions of the artist’s surreal imaginings: “These drawings defied classification; unheeding, for the most part, of the limitations of painting, they ushered in a very special type of the fantastic, one born of sickness and delirium.” After the publication of Huysmans’ novel, Redon became closely associated with the Decadent movement in Europe.

Initially, Redon worked only in black charcoal, which gave his pieces a macabre, nightmarish quality. In his early career, he depicted bizarre creatures with large heads and black, penetrating eyes. His style changed dramatically in the 1890’s when he turned to bright pastels and began to favor still-lifes and portraits. Despite the change in style, Redon’s work remained innovative, and many of the early twentieth century surrealists counted Redon among their precursors.  

There are several excellent books out there on Redon’s work, including: Beyond The Visible: The Art Of Odilon Redon and The Graphic Works of Odilon Redon (Dover Pictorial Archive Series). Huysman’s novel is also a definite must-read for those interested in decadent literature: Against Nature (A Rebours) (Penguin Classics).