Tree (Arbre)
Odilon Redon
French, 1840–1916
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.
Medium
Lithograph with chine appliqué
Dimensions
composition (irreg.): 15 7/8 x 12 5/8" (40.4 x 32.1 cm); sheet: 21 1/4 x 16 5/16" (53.9 x 41.4 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller
Accession
548.1940
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
