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

Art Terms

Lithography Chine collé Print Symbolism Monochrome Figurative

Exhibitions

The Prints of Odilon Redon

1986

Odilon Redon: Drawings and Lithographs

1952

Toulouse-Lautrec, Redon

1931

Fruit and Flower Paintings

1933