Lot 385 Dα

This painting, entitled 'L'Arbre', reveals a lesser known side of the symbolist Odilon Redon: his profound bond with nature. In his depictions Redon was not so much interested in showing a landscape as a whole, but rather individual forms such as flowers, rock formations and repeatedly also trees. The latter was something he had drawn and painted since his youth. Trees therefore pervade his entire oeuvre, both as accompaniments of religious and mythical figures and indeed as solitary themes. Redon himself described these small-format works, painted after nature, as 'études pour l'auteur'. They did not reach public exhibition until after his death in 1916, when they were displayed by Bernheim-Jeune (1917) and Druet (1923) in Paris. The solo exhibition at Galérie Druet featured some 300 works, including the painting shown here.
However, Redon created more than merely a symbolic image of nature. Typical of his style, he creates a rapturously mysterious space. Richard Hobbs states: “Even the natural phenomena, the tree, water and grass, are made mysterious by a skilful marriage between a deliberate vagueness of detail and a lively exploration of tonal values.” (Richard Hobbs, Odilon Redon, Boston 1977, p. 18).