Landscape with Rocks, near Royan
Odilon Redon
French, 1840–1916
c. 1875
A small oil painting worked over black chalk on gray paper mounted on board in which Redon reduces a coastal scene to monumental, simplified rock forms to evoke a brooding atmosphere.
What strikes you is the central, shadowed mass of rock—rendered in deep umbers—set against a spare blue sky and a single luminous cloud, so the piece reads as a study of weight, color and mood rather than topographic detail.
Dating from about 1875, this restrained, tonal approach shows Redon moving away from strict naturalism toward a pared-down, evocative style that helped bridge observational landscape painting and the Symbolist focus on inner feeling.
Medium
Oil over black chalk on gray cardstock mounted on tan board
Dimensions
8 3/8 x 10 1/2" (21.3 x 26.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of The Ian Woodner Family Collection
Accession
235.2000
Palette
Exhibitions
