The oeuvre of Odilon Redon (1840-1916) marks the threshold between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and thus represents the interplay between tradition and innovation.

Fractures and contrasts characterize his artistic development from the black and white of his early, dark lithographs and works in charcoal to the downright explosions of color in his bright pastels and oils. Bizarre monsters appear alongside heavenly creatures in a blend of dream and nightmare, nature and vision. Inclined to internalization, the mythic, sacred, and biological motifs in Redon s works take on a sense of the mystical, owing to both the subject and the aesthetic aspects of color and form. Greatly admired by contemporaries such as Paul Cézanne and Paul gauguin, Redon influenced artists such as Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, and Marcel Duchamp as well as the Surrealists.

The catalogue presents the artist s brilliant ideas and his body of work in all of its artistic heterogeneity.

Exploring the mysteries of the subconscious, this title deals with the grandfather of surrealism. In reaction to the 'narrow-mindedness' of his fellow artists, symbolist painter Odilon Redon (1840-1916) sought to open the door on the invisible. Art, according to the theories of the symbolist movement, should 'add to human beauty the nimbus of thought'.

In his studio, Redon would dedicate his energies, like an alchemist, to the creation of his 'black pictures', those barely tangible charcoal drawings teeming with fantasy figures. Gradually, color took hold in his works and Redon applied it with a boldness and imagination that heralded the experimental approach of modernism and surrealism. Fallen angels and deformed monsters gave way to a completely different vision that was radiant and serene: the triumph of light over darkness.

About the Series:
Every book in TASCHEN's Basic Art Series features:
* a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work, covering the cultural and historical importance of the artist
* approximately 100 color illustrations with explanatory captions
* a concise biography

Published on the occasion of the largest ever Odilon Redon retrospective, held at the Grand Palais in Paris in the spring of 2011, this chunky but pocketbook-size paperback volume reproduces all 256 artworks included in the landmark exhibition. It begins with Redon's "Self-Portrait" of 1867 and then examines his famous suites of lithographs, including Dans le Rêve and the classic illustrations to Poe, Huysmans and Flaubert.

All of the great pastels and oils are here, in full color, as well as lesser-known works like painted screens; throughout, each of the works is accompanied by the captions used in the exhibition, which provide details of provenance and, where relevant, edition size.

Odilon Redon (French, 1840-1916) transformed the natural world into dark visions and strange fantasies. He created a universe of mysterious hybrid creatures, offered his own interpretations of literary, biblical and mythological subjects, and presented flowers in a singular way. This book presents the full range of Redon’s achievements - mysterious charcoal "noirs," luminous pastels, richly textured canvases, dramatically shaded lithographs - through the Museum's unparalleled collection of the artist's work. The publication includes essays on the artist's aesthetic strategies, the meanings of his monsters, his accomplishments as a printmaker, and a comprehensive catalogue.

Includes 459 illustrations, 152 in color.