Odilon Redon

Odilon (Bertrand) Redon was born in Bordeaux in 1840. He was first trained there by the painter Stanislas Gorin, and then in 1864 attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Rodolphe Bredsin taught him printmaking techniques, and Henri Fantin-Latour later inspired him to try lithography. He came to know Camille Corot and Gustave Courbet, and Gustave Moreau was an important influence. In 1867 he showed his graphics for the first time in the Paris Salon. In 1870 he was commissioned to paint a chapel in Arras. He had his first exhibition in the offices of the journal La Vie modern. In 1884 he was a co-founder and the first president of the Salon des Indépendants. Redon was represented in the 8th Impressionist exhibition. Contact with several of the Nabis and with Paul Gauguin came in 1891. His work was included in the Armory Show in New York in 1913. Redon created dreamlike, at times gloomy picture worlds filled with fantastic creatures that seem like visions. He died in Paris in 1916.