Brief Biography-Odilon Redon is a unique symbolist painter interested in what is within us rather than what we see around us. He became critical of impressionists in this regard. A word that comes to mind when first viewing his paintings, particularly his early works, might be macabre.
He was born in Bordeaux and spent most of his youth on the family estate. His first lessons were with Stanislas Gorin, the watercolourist. His father made him read architecture and sculpture, which he abandoned and went to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Gérôme, but he disagreed with his teachings and left. He came under the influence of Rodolphe Bresdin, an engraver extraordinaire, before going to Paris in 1870. In Paris, he met Henry Fantin Latour, who convinced him to do Lithography, which he had been eager to do over many years. As a result, he became associated with writers of the Decadent.
His meeting with Seurat and Gauguin was to change his style from black macabre to vibrant colour, mainly influenced by Gauguin. In 1993, Redon received the Legion of Honour, and in his final years, he was content to paint flowers from his garden, which are a prominent part of his oeuvre.