Odilon Redon is one of my favourite artists. I enjoyed discovering his lithographs and works in charcoal, having only ever seen or known of his later paintings.
My research shows that until the middle of the 1890's, Redon devoted himself primarily to his graphic work, engravings and drawings, and notably to the noirs: unusual and precious charcoal drawings, which he exhibited in Paris for the first time at the beginning of the 1880.
He explained his discovery of charcoal in a letter published by the magazine L'Art Moderne in June 1894, under the heading "Confidences d'Artiste" (Artist's Secrets). "This everyday substance, which has no beauty of its own, aided my researches into chiaroscuro and the invisible. It is a neglected material, scorned by artists." 1.
It is his use of value (or tone) in his noirs that really express the use of atmospheric tone to be studied here.
In much of the work a considerable amount of dark tones can be seen and seem to express a deep psychological disturbance and create a strong mystical and mythical mood which work well with the fantastical creatures which feature mostly as subjects.
As a student of art, Redon studied the old masters, one of whom was Rembrandt and notable of his work is the use of Chiaroscuro, a "term describing the effects of light and shade in a work of art, particularly when they are strongly contrasting." 2. The use of light with very strong contrast of surrounding dark was also used as a compositional element, leading the eye to the desired subject and controlling the way the viewer experienced the painting.
Personally, I have always worked mostly in color so I have never really been made so acutely aware of the use of atmospheric tone as I was with this exercise. I understand that a sharp contrast between light and dark can be dramatic and express a somber or light mood, depending on the tone; but when I studied Two Trees, I realised that it could be used in a much more expressive and emotive way than what I had previously thought. The dark area behind the light on the trees definitely arouses a sense of mystery, a sense of the unknown, perhaps even of foreboding. But more importantly, the tone creates a unified whole in this drawing, one of light and shadow more than of objects, foreground/background and subject. To me the work seems to live as a whole, undiminished by the simplicity of the scene and thoroughly unified by the soft/strong/light tones.
Studying some of Redon's other work made me aware that shift in tone, even the use of mostly middle tones, can manipulate not only our mood but also the way we relate to the picture. In Le Profiel de Lumiere , the subject seems lit from within, as if she is the source of the light cast, evoking a profound spiritual almost, ephemeral quality. Here the light has become the subject of the painting and the figure is secondary. Beautiful!
In the next image: St Anthony, the figures are enclosed in a dark space and yet the light, atmospheric tones lift the mood and give a sense of hope and upliftment, even in the miserable surrounds - clearly symbolic of the light that St Antony brings to the prisoners. It is here that atmospheric tone is used as a compositional element as well as an emotive one, leading the eye in and pulling it around the picture from the window to the figures
My research shows that until the middle of the 1890's, Redon devoted himself primarily to his graphic work, engravings and drawings, and notably to the noirs: unusual and precious charcoal drawings, which he exhibited in Paris for the first time at the beginning of the 1880.
He explained his discovery of charcoal in a letter published by the magazine L'Art Moderne in June 1894, under the heading "Confidences d'Artiste" (Artist's Secrets). "This everyday substance, which has no beauty of its own, aided my researches into chiaroscuro and the invisible. It is a neglected material, scorned by artists." 1.
It is his use of value (or tone) in his noirs that really express the use of atmospheric tone to be studied here.
In much of the work a considerable amount of dark tones can be seen and seem to express a deep psychological disturbance and create a strong mystical and mythical mood which work well with the fantastical creatures which feature mostly as subjects.
As a student of art, Redon studied the old masters, one of whom was Rembrandt and notable of his work is the use of Chiaroscuro, a "term describing the effects of light and shade in a work of art, particularly when they are strongly contrasting." 2. The use of light with very strong contrast of surrounding dark was also used as a compositional element, leading the eye to the desired subject and controlling the way the viewer experienced the painting.
Personally, I have always worked mostly in color so I have never really been made so acutely aware of the use of atmospheric tone as I was with this exercise. I understand that a sharp contrast between light and dark can be dramatic and express a somber or light mood, depending on the tone; but when I studied Two Trees, I realised that it could be used in a much more expressive and emotive way than what I had previously thought. The dark area behind the light on the trees definitely arouses a sense of mystery, a sense of the unknown, perhaps even of foreboding. But more importantly, the tone creates a unified whole in this drawing, one of light and shadow more than of objects, foreground/background and subject. To me the work seems to live as a whole, undiminished by the simplicity of the scene and thoroughly unified by the soft/strong/light tones.
Odilon Redon: Profiel De Lumiere
Odilon Redon: St Anthony
Landscape. 1868. Odilon Redon.
In Landscape Redon uses charcoal to create a scene that is filled with darkness yet dominated by the light. This magnificent work depicts a landscape which is filled with an enormous tree which looms over the tiny figures in the centre on the rock. Redon uses tone here to create depth, and to elicit a profound atmosphere of vulnerability. His masterful use of tone and the medium is astonishing and to my mind a masterful illustration of how humanity is really quite alone and at the mercy of the power of the elements. The dark contrasting light tones clearly demonstrate this.
In conclusion, tone clearly has the ability to manipulate and maneuver the atmosphere of a drawing or a painting, at once unifying the elements and setting the mood.
Sources;
1. Drawings by Odilon Redon, Archive, Mussey D'Orsey: https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/events/exhibitions/archives/exhibitions-archives/browse/11/article/dessins-de-redon-7828.html?print=1 [accessed 8 December 2018]
2. Stratis, K Harriet: The Book and Paper Group Annual, A technical Investigation of Odilons Redon's Pastels and Noirs. Available online: https://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v14/bp14-08.html. [accessed 8 December 2018]
http://spenceralley.blogspot.com/2016/11/odilon-redon-lithographs-at-british.html. [accessed 3 December 2018]
Chamberlain, Eva; Georgia's Museum of Art to show Odilon Redon's Lithographs. [online]. Available from: https://news.uga.edu/gmoa-odilon-redons-lithographs/. [accessed 3 December 2018].
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