After my last visit to the Pastel exhibition in Barcelona, I felt very pensive about Redón’s works… I knew that the pastels of this surrealist painter had a power of color, very different from the others. But after seeing his works live, I was really surprised by the texture, the structure and this velvet feeling that was coming from the pigments on his artworks. He always seemed to me as an artist with very interesting and mysterious work and I wanted to know something more after the show…
L´Homme Cactus- 1881, Odilon Redon painting
I Investigated a little and arrived at a study published by Harriet K. Stratis, Conservator of Prints and Drawings in the Art Institute of Chicago, in 1995, on Odilon Redon’s pastel work, and his so-called “Noirs” in particular.
The study was conducted in a large number of public and private collections in the United States and abroad. It was about finding out the materials and supports that the artist used, his work processes and the modifications he was making in the course of his career and over time. (!!!)
L´araignée Souriante, Odilon Redon (1840-1916)
I could not treat the subject or expose it in a better way than Harriet K. Stratis did, but for those who are interested in the subject, I strongly recommend reading the full study. You have a direct link to the text clicking on her name.
Guardian spirit of the water, 1878, Odilon Redon (Noirs)
Edilon Redón evolved and altered his pictorial technique throughout his life. Its initial Pastels date from 1870 and are quite different from the works of the 80s, or even the later ones, of 1912. In some of his early works, such as “Figure Holding a Winged Head”, from 1876, the artist applies the pastel in short and unique strokes, “with Little attempt to blend, stump, or soften the lines into one another or adjacent areas of color”.
Figure Holding a Winged Head, Odilon Redon, 1876
The text also highlights something that worries a lot of pastelists; How to fix the works! Is it necessary to fix the Pastel? Is it Correct? Should we fix or not? Redón used the so-called Pastel fixers in large quantities to accumulate layers and layers, one on another, starting from a base of blacks composed of charcoal and pencil. Curiously, his latest works completely lack fixative, which he gradually left by the end of his life…
It is unusual to find articles on the internet that reveal the techniques of the old masters, and information regarding their way to approach the materials. So, for those who like this artist and ancient techniques in particular, I encourage you to take some time, and I hope you enjoy the reading.