Tree (Arbre)

Odilon Redon

1892

This lithograph with chine appliqué by Odilon Redon renders a single tree trunk and delicate branches as an intimate, poetic study that transforms a botanical subject into a quiet, meditative image.

You'd first notice the sparse, luminous field and a centrally placed trunk traced in spare, precise strokes, with tiny clusters of leaves and a soft, paper-toned halo that give the drawing an airy, almost spectral stillness.

Redon’s restrained line and the subtle tonal effects achieved with chine appliqué expanded late-19th-century printmaking’s expressive range, pointing toward modernist interests in mood, reduction, and the suggestive power of surface.

Palette

Exhibitions

The Prints of Odilon Redon

1986

Odilon Redon: Drawings and Lithographs

1952

Toulouse-Lautrec, Redon

1931

Fruit and Flower Paintings

1933