Art Portfolio - research on Odilon Redon

 During today's lesson, for the first time in my life, I saw how the lecture looks like.  I watched 30 minutes movie were was talking about biography, work and inspiration an artist which is called Odilon Redon after his mother Odile. While watching I have to do notes about this person for later describing him into my blog.

 In my opinion, classes are not that different as I used to in my previous school but maybe a little bit harder because of using academic language which I am not familiar with as good as I want. My friends talk about lessons a lot, but for the first time, I saw and hear it by myself.  But I think it will be a great opportunity to develop my language and spiking skills.

Odilon Redon lived during the end 19th and early 20th (1840-1916). He started his artistic path in young age because he has 10 winning drawing prize at school. Five years later he wanted to start studying art for real but his dad was against it and make him study architecture. Maybe he would study this course but he never pass the exam thankfully he has an opportunity to study painting in the same school which is Paris Ecole des Beaux-Art under Jean - Leon  Gerome till the moment he failed the exam. His teacher works were inspired by oriental especially Arabian culture.

 He was not afraid of taking a hard topic and make an art form it. As I can see looking at the works he liked painting people around him, which live on the street, market slive, aristocrat portrait and sultan's harems which image was lied for sure because these places can not be visited by other men than sultan, only a woman could access of course with high status. 

 Gerome, Roman Market Slave (1884) US

                                       Gerome, Harem Pool (1876) St. Petersburg

Gerome, Portrait of Mille Durrand (1853)

Odilon after the failing exam started sculpturing and lithography. When he has 31 (1871) he served in the army during Franco-Prussian war at the end of the year he comes back to the Paris where continued artistic path using charcoal and lithography which gives his art more mysterious and a little bit scary vibes.

Painting "Guardian spirit of the water" was a turning point in his life because he started to become noticed.

Redon Guardian spirit of the water (1878) France

We can find his paintings in the book J.K. Huysmann which was written in 1884 by Joris-Karl Huysmans. Six years later Redon began his art career in oil pastel and painting which he did for the rest of his life.

Odilon's work changes over the years from dark and mysterious to light and colourful. In my opinion, the best will suit my Set Project Redon's later work lots of pastel colours and soft finish. I do not want to create my family using dark colours because it will show some of the bad vibes such as I hate my family etc. which is not true.  Of course, I have a few really terrible memories with my family which changes my point of view to some situation and people but everyone has it right? But the things which are in past should stay there the most important is what is now.

That's why I want to focus on the positive aspect and I decided to inspire by these Odilon's paintings:

Redon, Nasturtious (1905) Yale

                                           Redon, Cyclops (1914) the Netherlands 

                                           Redon, Boquet of Flowers (1905) New York

Using these warm pastel colours like in Boquet of Flowers or in Nasturtious will suit the best during colouring my character's clothes and their fur. In the painting, Cyclops is a wonderfully presented pattern this ever-flowing shape of trees in the background, dots on the plants on the foreground. The pattern is something fundamental during creating an illustration of animals because thank's to it we can show their trademarks, it can be used as fur or skin imitation which is great if somebody can exploit it which I will try my best.

Expressionism which I chose as my Set Project topic can be seen in the Nasturtious painting when I am looking at these flowers it makes me feel like they are moving because of using a lot of flowers around the vase. It looks like some kind of octopus with outstretched wide lots of tentacles.  

The best example of this direction in art is Cyclops I think because we can see how he emerged from the hill and at any moment he will appear before Galanteia which will not be pleased seeing his face. This Naida looks like she is trying to hide from his eye. These blurred outlines give these moving vibes.

References:

Gerome, Portrait of Mille Durrand (1853) oil on canvas 127x87 cm artreneval.org 17.01.2021

 Gerome, Harem Pool (1876) Oil on canvas Hermitage - St. Petersburg Russian Federation 

artreneval.org 17.01.2021

Gerome, Roman Market Slave (1884) Oil on canvas 64.1x 56.9 cm Walters Art Museum Baltimore United States artreneval.org 17.01.2021

Redon Guardian spirit of the water (1878) 466x 376 cm France artic.edu 17.01.2021

Redon, Nasturtious (1905) Yale University Art Gallery rawpixel.com 17.01.2021

Redon, Cyclops (1914) Kroller- Muller Museum Otterlo, Netherlands artsy.net

Redon, Boquet of Flowers (1905)The MET Museum, New York rawpixel.com