The French symbolist painter, printmaker, draftsman and pastel painter Bertrand-Jean Redon or Odilon Redon (April 20, 1840-July 6, 1916) was an outstanding leader in “Post-Impressionism” and “Symbolism” . He was only 10 years old when he won the painting prize at school. Odilon started to learn painting formally at the age of 15, but had to transfer to architecture at the insistence of his father. Once he failed to pass the entrance of the Paris Academy of Fine Arts, he resumed painting. The creator of “Portrait of Violet Hyman” Redon studied etching and lithography under the guidance of Rodolphe Bresdin, until he joined the army in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, and his artistic career was once again incapable No rest.
Obtained Odilon’s approval in 1878, his creation is “The Guardian Spirit of Water” and his first lithograph album, “Dans le Rêve” in 1879. In the 1890s, he began to use pastels and oil paints, which appeared in large numbers in his works for the rest of his life. Later in his life, he added catalogs of etchings and lithographs. Odilon’s works are extremely imaginative, ranging from human-headed spiders to shaking the ground. His popular works include “Soul of the Forest” (1880), “Cactus Man” (1881), “Weeping Spider” (1881), “Buddha” (1904) and “Portrait of Violet Hyman” “.
The “Portrait of Violet Hyman” created in the last few years of Redon’s life in 1910 is an extremely imaginative work. This pastel work measures 72 cm x 92 cm and shows a young woman, Violette Heymann, surrounded by many colorful, blooming and somewhat unfinished flowers. In order to match the theme “violet”, Odilon made full use of violet. Violette sat sideways on a chair, which only supported her back, but her neck and head were not supported. Because of her flat face with no expression, she looks passive. Her clothes are also very simple, without much modification and style. She wore a white high-necked liner, and the green and blue vamp had a gold border. Her black hair is shoulder-length, pinned behind her back.
Odilon Redon described his work as ambiguous and difficult to define. He explained: “As a practice and sustenance, I often draw the smallest surprises of the visual appearance of an object in front of it; but that day made me feel sad and insatiable. The next day I let another source run away, which is imagination Through the recollection of form, I feel at ease and comfort.” Leidong reflects his own thoughts and psychology through his works, trying to “make visible things serve invisible things”. Violet’s expression also reflects the same ambiguity, so Odilon’s work always evokes different reactions. “Portrait of Violet Hyman” is currently on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio.
