ODILON REDON (Bordeaux 1840–1916 Paris) La Fuite. 1910. Oil on canvas. Signed lower left: Odilon Redon. 66 × 51 cm. Provenance: - Auction Duveen, New York, 30.4.–1.5.1952, lot 254. - Galerie Fritz und Peter Nathan, Zurich. - Private collection Bern, probably acquired from the above gallery. - Swiss private collection. Exhibited: - Paris 1923, Exposition Odilon Redon, Galerie Druet, no. 29 (label on the reverse). - Bern 1958, Odilon Redon, Kunsthalle Bern, 9.8.–12.10.1958, no. 189. Literature: - Alec Wildenstein: Odilon Redon, Catalogue raisonné de l?uvre peint et dessiné, Paris 1994, vol. II, no. 780 (with ill.). - Klaus Berger: Odilon Redon. Phantasie und Farbe, Cologne 1964, no. 79. “What strikes me most in his work is the coming together of two almost opposite qualities: very pure plastic substance and very mysterious expression. Our whole generation is under his charm and benefits from his advice” (Pierre Bonnard in: Hobbs, 1977, p. 84). Although Odilon Redons work is contemporaneous with that of the Impressionists, it could not be more opposite. His oeuvre leans more towards the painting of the Symbolists, though it remains unique in art-historical discourse. Redons early works, the "Noirs", dark charcoal drawings with bizarre, sometimes terrifying mythical creatures, were produced in the 1870s and ‘80s and are an expression of a lonely and dark childhood. It was the birth of his son Ari in 1889 that prompted Redon to turn to colour and thanks to which he henceforth committed to pastels and oil painting. After the turn of the century, Redons painting was dominated by two themes: that of flora and that of religion and mythology . From the latter, the artist made use of a variety of subjects, ranging from the chariot of Apollo and heroes such as Perseus, to images of centaurs, Venus and the story of Pandora. Executed in 1910, "La Fuite”, belongs to the artists mature oeuvre. It is unclear exactly which mythological figure the fleeing nude represents. Redon often painted female nudes within a landscape, but in each case he clearly titled them with the name of the depicted figure. Whether this is a Venus or simply a nymph fleeing from a god was obviously of secondary importance to Redon in the present work. Instead, he is more concerned with capturing a fleeting moment. The artist usually developed his compositions out of the painted colour fields, which originated less from a planned composition than from an inner intention. The colours blend into a powdery, cloudy effect that, although painted in oil, resembles the pastel technique. Redons use of colour combined with his deeply symbolic pictorial language would have a significant influence not only on the entire group of Nabis artists, but also on Matisse and the Fauvists, as well as Duchamp and the Surrealist movement. It is therefore not surprising that when asked about the influence of Cézanne on the art of his generation, Marcel Duchamp replied: "I am sure that most of my friends would say so and I know that [Cézanne] is a great man. Nevertheless, if I am to tell what my own point of departure has been, I should say that it was the art of Odilon Redon” (Rewald, 1961/62, p. 44). ODILON REDON (Bordeaux 1840–1916 Paris) La Fuite. 1910. ?l auf Leinwand. Unten links signiert: Odilon Redon. 66 × 51 cm. Provenienz: - Auktion Duveen, New York, 30.4.–1.5.1952, Los 254. - Galerie Fritz und Peter Nathan, Zürich. - Privatsammlung Bern, wohl in obiger Galerie erworben. - Schweizer Privatsammlung. Ausstellungen: - Paris 1923, Exposition Odilon Redon, Galerie Druet, Nr. 29 (verso mit Etikett). - Bern 1958, Odilon Redon, Kunsthalle Bern, 9.8.–12.10.1958, Nr. 189. Literatur: - Alec Wildenstein: Odilon Redon, Catalogue raisonné de l?uvre peint et dessiné, Paris 1994, Bd. II, Nr. 780 (mit Abb.). - Klaus Berger: Odilon Redon. Phantasie und Farbe, K?ln 1964, Nr. 79. "Was mich an seinem Werk am meisten beeindruckt, ist das Zusammentreffen zweier fast gegens?tzlicher Qualit?ten: sehr reine plastische Substanz und sehr geheimnisvoller Ausdruck. Unsere ganze Generation ist seinem Charme verfallen und profitiert von seinem Rat" (Pierre Bonnard über Redon in: Hobbs, 1977, S. 84). Obwohl Odilon Redons Werk zeitgleich mit dem der Impressionisten entsteht, k?nnte es gegens?tzlicher nicht sein. Sein ?uvre lehnt sich vielmehr an**Malerei der Symbolisten an, ist aber im kunsthistorischen Diskurs einzigartig. Redons Frühwerk,**?Noirs“, dunkle Kohlezeichnungen mit skurrilen, teils furchteinfl?ssenden Fabelwesen, entstehen in den 1870er- und 80er-Jahren und sind Ausdruck einer einsamen und dunklen Kindheit. Es ist**Geburt seines Sohnes Ari 1889,**Redon zur Hinwendung zur Farbe bewegt und dank der er sich fortan dem Pastell und der ?lmalerei verschreibt. Nach der Jahrhundertwende wird Redons Malerei vornehmlich von zwei Themen dominiert:**Flora sowie Religion und Mythologie. Bei Letzterem bedient sich der Künstler verschiedener Sujets, angefangen bei dem Wagen des Apollon, über Heroen wie Perseus bis hin zur Darstellung von Zentauren, der Venus oder der Geschichte der Pandora. Das vorliegende Werk ?La Fuite“ entsteht 1910 und ist in das reife Schaffen des Künstlers einzuordnen. Um welche mythologische Figur es sich bei dem fliehenden Akt genau handelt, ist unklar. Redon hat oft weibliche Akte in eine Landschaft eingebettet gemalt, diese aber jeweils eindeutig mit dem Namen der Dargestellten betitelt. Ob es sich nun um eine Venus handelt oder einfach um eine vor einem Gott fliehende Nymphe ist für Redon hier offensichtlich zweitrangig. Vielmehr geht es ihm um das Einfangen eines Moments. Seine Kompositionen entwickelt der Maler meist aus den gemalten Farbfl?chen heraus,**weniger in einem geplanten Aufbau, als in einer inneren Intention ihren Ursprung haben.**Farben vermischen sich in einer puderhaften, wolkenartigen Weise, die, obwohl in ?l gemalt, an**Technik des Pastells erinnert. Redons Anwendung von Farbe gepaart mit der tief symbolischen Bildsprache wird nicht nur auf**gesamte Künstlergruppe der Nabis, sondern auch auf Matisse und**Fauvisten sowie Duchamp und**Bewegung der Surrealisten bedeutenden Einfluss haben. So verwundert es nicht, dass Marcel Duchamp über**Frage nach dem Einfluss von Cézanne auf**Kunst seiner Generation antwortet: "Ich bin sicher, dass**meisten meiner Freunde das sagen würden, und ich wei?, dass [Cézanne] ein gro?er Mann ist. Wenn ich jedoch sagen soll, was mein eigener Ausgangspunkt war, würde ich sagen, dass es**Kunst von Odilon Redon war" (Rewald 1961/62, S. 44).
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