Fine Art

“Art Noir” opens at MoMA

By Auburn Scallon

Sunday, October 30, 2005

The opening of Beyond the Visible: The Art of Odilon Redon at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) coincides perfectly with the Halloween season. Over 130 pieces from the turn of the century French artist, ranging from charcoals to pastels to lithographs, are on display from Oct. 30th, 2005 through Jan. 23, 2006.

Redon named his early work “Noirs”, which is fitting for both the charcoal medium, and the dark subject matter. Many of the sketches depict scenes of struggle and melancholy, and are reminiscent of schoolbook sketches of a tortured teenager. He focuses on varied religious icons through pieces such as ‘Lost Angel with Black Wings’ and a portfolio series based on The Temptation of Saint Anthony combined with images of the three fates or ‘The Chariot of Apollo’. His blend of scientific subjects in a fantasy world produces a feeling of a slightly distorted reality, full of floating eyeballs, human-like plants, and smiling spiders
Around 1900 Redon turned to the use pastels and oil paintings. His focus shifts to still life flowers in vases and swirling undersea kingdoms. It is often said that this echoed a shift in his personal life, having achieved professional success and stability, but these pieces don’t resonate as powerfully as his earlier work. Although beautiful, they seem almost clichéd, filled with rainbows and flowers. It’s hard to believe that this body of work was produced by the same person.

Redon’s work was an important element of the Decadence movement. Although his works easily stand alone, a study of his interests and influences gives them new meaning. You can also view selected works from the exhibit, as well as a discussion of prevalent themes at MoMa