Odilon Redon

Odilon Redon (Bordeaux, 1840 - Paris, 1916) was a painter, lithographer, draughtsman and pastellist, as well as a writer, critic and musician. As so many symbolists he was fascinated by synaesthesia, the idea that an experience can be more intense when several senses are solicited together. Redon was masterful at interweaving the expressive powers of literature, music and the visual arts.

By addressing some of Redon’s favorite themes, this richly illustrated publication shows how he transposed literary and musical motifs into his own work and how he reinvented such themes over and over again creating new associations and meaning.

Next to literary themes and subjects linked to classical drama, Redon chose topics that were inspired by, among others, Richard Wagner’s and Robert Schumann’s music. With more than 200 illustrations of works largely in private collections and the Kröller-Müller Museum, and with essays by renowned experts on Redon and Symbolism, this book provides extensive insight into the importance of literature and music in Odilon Redon’s oeuvre.